Crashing Equestria 1
by Zytharros
Summary: Summoned by Princess Celestia, a human ventures into the world of Equestria and discovers a plot that will soon engulf not only their world, but ours as well. CONTINUED IN "THE GAME OF SHADOWS".
1. Day 1

_Day 1_

It was a hot summer day and the skies around Chilliwack, Canada were burning with the intense heat of 100 degree Fahrenheit weather. I, Zytharros, lay in bed, thinking to myself… who in blazes decided this level of heat? Things needed to get 20% cooler for me to go outside. My trailer wasn't any better, either – in fact if anything it was 20% hotter than outside, even with the air conditioner burning through 200 watts of cooling electricity an hour.

"I gotta get out of here and take a drive…" I said.

So I climbed into the car, started the engine, and took off, leaving a text message for my wife and letting her know I was heading for Cultus Lake to do a little swimming. She was out with her mom at a meeting for one of the organizations they volunteer their time with and would be gone all day. I made sure to tell her I would be up for going later in the evening as well or tomorrow, should she like.

As I was heading down Keith Wilson to go for a dip, I noticed two things. First, the road was unusually deserted. Second, a weird curtain of aquatic waves appeared before my eyes on the side of the road. I pulled off to the side of the road, slowed down and stopped, turning the car off and locking the door. Through the waves, I saw flickers of a pristine, cartoon town, a flash of rainbow, a castle perched impossibly on a mountain cliff, a galloping yellow mare…

Fluttershy?

Had I just stumbled on a portal to Equestria, of all places?

Swallowing, I took slow and steady steps toward the portal. I stuck my hand through first, but noticed no signs of personal disruption… maybe an interesting tingle-spike-spike-tap sensation on the ends of my nerves. I decided it was safe, and gingerly stepped my way through, closing my eyes.

A buzz-snap-snap-BANG sound confirmed that I had indeed stepped through. I collapsed onto all fours and slowly opened my eyes. My skin was a medium blue. My hooves and mane matched my dirty blonde hair…

Wait, I'm a pony!

I looked again… my back was textured funny. I tried flexing something, and the back texture exploded from my back – wings! A pegasus! _Yes! I can fulfil my lifelong dream to fly now!_ I looked at my rump. A quill and a music note for a cutie mark? Awesome! My surroundings were a blur of apple trees, with a barn barely visible down one of the rows.

I squee'd, super excited that I had found this portal and stumbled right into Equestria. I must have been the first human to discover a genuine portal!

"What in tarnation? How'd you get this deep on our ranch?" a childlike, Missourian voice spoke from about knee level.

I jumped and whipped around. Standing behind me was a tiny filly no bigger than my knee, a redhead with a blonde fur coat and a red bow in her mane. I sighed out of relief.

"Sorry, little filly," I said. "You startled me!"

"It's okay," she said. "Name's Apple Bloom. What's yours?"

"Zytharros," I replied.

Apple Bloom chuckled. "The way you just… kinda… poofed outta the air like that startled me, too."

Another, deeper Missourian voice joined hers. "Apple Bloom, who're you talkin' to?"

An orange mare with a blonde mane and a cowboy's cap emerged from behind the hilltop. I immediately recognized her as Applejack, but I didn't want to seem creepy, so I feigned ignorance.

"Hi, I'm Zytharros," I introduced.

The mare greeted me with a hoof-shake and a smile. "Applejack. Glad to meet you, Zytharros. You new in town?"

"Actually, I arrived… less than a blink of an eye ago…" I chuckled.

Apple Bloom bounced around our legs. "He arrived in a poofy flash. I saw it myself!"

"A 'poofy flash'?" Applejack asked. Her facial expression told me she was thinking it was her sister's wild imagination.

I shrugged. "I kinda came through a portal."

Applejack looked at me with the same skeptical look she had just given her sister. "Sounds like magic to me. I better bring you to see Twilight Sparkle. She knows more about it than we do."

So Applejack and Apple Bloom began to run… while I collapsed to the dirt on my face. The elder mare heard the fall, turned around and saw me on the ground, struggling to get back up.

"You… don't know how to run?" she asked.

"I came through a portal walking on two legs," I informed. "This is the first time in my life on four."

Applejack threw a resigning sigh my way. It seemed like she still didn't believe, but had to accept that explanation as plausible for now until Twilight gave her some further information.

I thought back to how babies crawled on all fours. I got up, and tried to apply the same principle to my legs… front hoof, opposite rear hoof, other front hoof, last hoof… front hoof, opposite rear hoof, other front hoof, last hoof… Slowly I made my way towards Applejack and Apple Bloom, processing how to walk all over again. It was… incredibly awkward and a little embarrassing…

"Well, it's a start," Applejack commented, observing my walk pattern. "You'll get the hang of it."

I smiled. "Thanks. This is all so new to me." In my thoughts, I added, _and very exciting too – when do I get to meet Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?_

With Applejack and Apple Bloom coaching, eventually we made it into Ponyville. I looked around in awe, in disbelief that I was actually in _the_ Ponyville. I saw a typical small-town environment – ponies were buzzing all over the town, in and out of various businesses and entertainment places. Applejack described for me various locations around town, some of which I knew from watching the show. I made a mental note of several locations as we proceeded past Sugarcube Corner (_I have to try one of their cakes_), the Bowling Alley (_one of my favourite pastimes_), Rarity's dress shop (_I have to buy a tuxedo from her eventually_), the spa (_a good soak 'n shave will be nice on occasion_), the hairdresser's (_gotta keep my mane and tail nice and trimmed_), and the various fruit and vegetable stands.

Suddenly, a pink head emerged from Sugarcube Corner, spotted me, and turned into a pink streak and two bright blue eyes inches from my face in an impossibly fast record time. I flinched back, caught off-guard at the suddenness, but then I realized who I was looking at – Pinkie Pie.

"Um… I'm Zytharros," I introduced, still sort of reeling in shock.

She looked at Applejack and asked, "Is he new?" She looked at me, and continued. "You must be new because I've never seen you before and I know all of the ponies in Ponyville but I've never seen you around! Welcome to Ponyville! Come by Sugarcube Corner tonight!"

I nervously smiled. "O-kay…"

Pinkie Pie leapt in the air with a "Yay!" and bolted off to begin preparations.

"That was… dynamic," I commented.

Applejack chuckled. "That's Pinkie Pie for you."

"Yeah. She's a little…" Applebloom said before rolling her eyes in opposite directions, "…crazy."

"Looks like you'll have a busy night tonight," Applejack continued.

As the shock subsided, I laughed. "My sister has a friend who was very much like Pinkie when she was younger. She was always a pleasure to be around."

We carried on to the other side of town, making our way to Twilight's library. We passed by a couple other ponies who I was introduced to – Lyra and Bon Bon – and a weird, gray and blond pegasus balancing two giant anvils and a piano on a tiny box while riding a unicycle named Derpy.

Surprised, Applejack commented, "That's a first."

I was still wondering where Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were.

We made it to the library where Twilight resided. It looked like she had magically moved the door again, and Applejack spent no time telling her how frustrated she was.

"Oh for the love of Pete… Twilight!" she screamed. "Can't you just leave the door in one place for once?"

There was no sound. Applejack groaned. She walked up to the door and knocked twice. The door opened and Twilight Sparkle peeked out.

"Oh, hi, Applejack. Didn't hear you. How long were you waiting?"

"Not long. But seriously, why do you move that dang blasted door every few weeks?" she asked.

Twilight bit her lip, then spotted me. "Oh, hi! Who are you?"

Applejack muttered, "You didn't answer my question…"

Apple Bloom piped up. "This here's Zytharros. He just arrived in town today."

"Zytharros? That's not a typical pony name," Twilight asked. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Earth," I informed. Gambling that she would know something of how Earth ponies got to Equestria, I continued, "I came through a magic portal."

"A magic portal on Earth?" Twilight asked, alarmed. "We better tell the Princess about it." She turned her attention to a little purple dragon who had suddenly become alerted by her alarmed tone. "Spike! Take a letter!"

"On it, Twi!" he said, snatching a piece of paper and a quill off the table. Twilight began to dictate.

Dear Princess Celestia,

A new arrival in Ponyville has me concerned. His name is Zytharros, and he claims to have come from Earth. He has since been transformed into a pony – specifically a pegasus unicorn (_so I do have a horn…)_. I suspect there may be a weakness in the barrier barring our worlds. Do you know of any incidences when this has occurred? I would advise that you speak to Zytharros directly on this matter. It may be of great importance to Equestria and Earth.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

Spike blew on the letter with the fires of messaging and sent the letter onward. Within just twenty seconds, Celestia responded. I was repulsed by the fact that Spike had to barf up letters, but Twilight and Applejack acted as if it was everyday business. Twilight picked up the Princess' latest letter and began to read…

To my faithful student Twilight,

There is indeed something dark going on in Equestria, and this time, the Elements of Harmony will not be enough. This is why I allowed him to see the portal. His peaceful heart will need to ground and amplify the power of the Elements of Harmony beyond the power you and your friends can provide to fight this latest threat.

You will be wondering why I haven't given you any information. This is because I have little more than you do. All I have is this – this threat is going to be subtle, and you will need someone who can act as a rock for your group to rely on, a point of stability beyond what each of you can provide for each other.

My charge for you is this – get Zytharros comfortable in Ponyville, then begin looking for the new threat with his help.

I warn you to keep this within your group. Never let Zytharros' origins be revealed to anyone outside of those who hold the Elements of Harmony!

This is urgent – I fear we may only have a few weeks to find this threat.

Princess Celestia.

I went slack-jawed. "So, not only did I get to come to Equestria, I was actually _summoned by the Princess_?"

"Sounds like it," Applejack said. "Sounds like you'll be here a while, too."

"Well, we need to find you a place to call your own," Twilight said. "We've also got to familiarize you with your abilities."

"I need to tell my wife back home what I'm doing," I said. "I've gotta get word to her."

Twilight began walking out the door. "I don't know if we can, Zytharros. You're just going to have to try explaining it all when you get back home."

"If I get back home," I mumbled.

Applejack smiled, then wrapped a leg around me. "It's okay, Z. We'll get you home."

Apple Bloom smiled with her sister. "We'll find you a way home when we're done. For now, we need to worry about this threat!"

"Apple Bloom, you need to get home," Applejack ordered. "See that the farm's in good running order. Zytharros will need some of our apples until he gets settled in with a job and all."

"Okay, sis!" Apple Bloom said, leaving Twilight's library.

A sudden burst of thought crossed my mind. "You think I could help out around the farm, Applejack? At least, until I get some work in town? I had an orchard of apples, pears, plums, and figs back on the farm at home."

Applejack smiled. "It _is_ almost apple-buckin' season, and we could use the help."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll be there."

"You can stay here in the basement, Zy," Twilight offered. "At least, until you make enough to buy your own place."

"Thank you, Twilight," I gratefully said.

The sun was setting for the evening, and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. Twilight heard the roaring of my gullet as well.

"Shall we get you something to eat?" she asked.

"That would be wonderful… I'm famished!" I said.

Twilight smiled. "No problem. Let's head to Sugarcube Corner for supper."

I followed the azure pony out into the evening sky towards Sugarcube Corner. Along the way, we talked about what Earth was like and what kind of skills I had. She showed me a couple of simple levitation tricks using Spike as a semi-willing assistant, and gave me some of her parchment and a couple of quills to use to write with.

We arrived at Sugarcube Corner and entered. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie and half of Ponyville leapt out and screamed "Surprise!" A little shocked, I stumbled back a bit, but chuckled as the party resumed. I decided to mosey over to the muffin rack – I needed healthy food, not sweets.

After grabbing my first muffin, I perused the different inhabitants. I noted the presence of Derpy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and my accompanier Twilight, but Rainbow and Fluttershy weren't there. Wanting to ask, but knowing I still didn't "know" them in their minds, I kept the question to myself… but Rarity didn't.

"So, where are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?" the purple-plumed pony asked. "I thought they were invited, too."

Pinkie responded, "Oh, Rainbow's busy in Cloudsdale at a Wonderbolts convention and won't be back in Ponyville until late, and Fluttershy said she had a busy day and couldn't come tonight because she was tired. Boy, did she look it when I visited her! I hear she's been having a hard time with some of her animals."

I listened intently.

"Angel was freaking out over something, and the animals all fled, so she spent most of the day chasing them around her land on the edge of Everfree. She managed to get them all rounded up herself, but-"

"Oh, shoot…" Applejack muttered. "I was supposed to help her with that today. I'm going to have to go and apologize to her for that tomorrow. With Zytharros here arriving at the top of the day, and with him being a first-time pony and all, it completely slipped my mind."

Rarity's eyes blew out of her head in surprise. "First-time pony! I was sure I had seen him in Canterlot before today." She turned to me. "Where do you come from?"

"I'll tell you later," I said. "It's… complicated."

Rarity thought about pushing further, but Twilight shook her head and leaned in.

"It's… for the holders of the Elements of Harmony only," Twilight whispered. "Come over tonight."

Rarity stuck a drink to her lips and sipped. She never let her eyes off me the rest of the night, which I found a little… off-putting.

Pinkie noted I was eating only healthy stuff, so she ran to a cake and brought me a slice. "Here! Try the cake!"

I swallowed the last of the muffin I was eating and shook my head. "I can't eat too much sugar. I have stomach issues. Let me enjoy the sweets at my own pace."

Pinkie's face shaped into a very exaggerated "oh…" which she finished off with a smiley "Okay!"

"I will take that piece of cake, though," I said, smiling. "Thank you, Pinkie."

"No problem!" she spoke brightly.

Twilight paid for everything I ate that night – and boy, did she pay. I had three muffins, two donuts, several different fruits, a serving of salad, and several glasses of juice. The total price amounted to nearly fifty bits. I learned more about each of the ponies I had met earlier in the day, and struck up quite a friendship with Derpy and DJ P0N-3, who was providing the tunage for the evening.

Back in Twilight's library that night, Rarity came over and we explained everything. She was understandably horrified.

"The Princess thinks the latest threat is that bad?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "She said we need his stability if we hope to survive."

"We should tell Rainbow and Fluttershy when we see them tomorrow, posthaste," Rarity declared. "We've nary a moment to lose!"

I simply watched, still in a bit of an amazement halo after coming through the portal. I had picked up one of Twilight's inks and began to write a song based on my experiences.

"We'll do that tomorrow, Rarity," Twilight said. "For tonight, we should gather our strength to help him out as much as we can."

"Agreed," Rarity said. "Well, good night, Zytharros and Twilight. We've a lot of work ahead of us."

"Night, Rarity," I said.

Twilight looked over at me after seeing her friend out. She came over and sat by me.

"What are you writing?" she asked.

I shyly showed her a rough draft of one of my songs. "I… don't normally like people watching me when I write. I get intensely personal when I do."

Twilight smiled. "It's not a bad song," she complemented, returning the paper to me. "We should get some sleep, Zytharros."

"I've got to show up at Applejack's early tomorrow, so I should. I'm getting some apple-bucking lessons so I can help out there."

With that, we said our good nights and slipped into our respective comas. I lay awake for a little bit, stretching out my wings.

_They'll get some use later,_ I thought.


	2. Day 2

_Day 2_

The next morning, I awoke long before Twilight and Spike were aroused by the sun. Dawn had just broken and, despite the fact I was in the basement without light, I woke at what I figured was 7:00. I could never sleep past 8:00 and wake without a headache, so I couldn't see it being that late, especially with the angle of the sun as it was. I decided I would make something nice for my hosts, so I built a muffin, oatmeal and juice breakfast for Twilight and a sapphire shard cereal for Spike. As I assembled those things, I nibbled on a muffin and a piece of fruit myself, slugged down some water and juice, and left the house. I left a note for Twilight out of courtesy near the ready-to-eat meals, even though she knew where I was headed.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at Applejack's farm, but nobody was up yet. I decided I would surprise them, so I snuck into their barn and took two baskets for myself. Hooking up the saddle-bag-like apparatus and adjusting it until it felt comfortable, I began to steadily pick apples using my newly acquired levitation spell. After working on one apple at a time, I began to get a sense of what felt right, and expanded my harvesting to two, three, five, then a whole tree of apples at a time. As I was harvesting, I found and pocketed my MP3 player and a few sheets of paper I had forgotten.

I had almost cleared the west field when I heard Applejack's voice: "What in tarnation happened! This cart is already full!"

I smirked and returned with two more full baskets of apples, plus a tree's worth of apples hovering over my head.

"Hey, Applejack!" I called, chuckling. "You slept in!"

"You rascal!" she shrieked. "You had us scared half to death!"

I put the apples I had in my basket in the cart. "There were plenty of unripened apples that I didn't take down."

Applejack was still slack-jawed. "You did all this before we woke up!"

I smiled. "Just practicing a levitation spell Twilight taught me. I'm ready to learn some apple-bucking now."

"How long have you been up!" Applejack exclaimed.

I looked at the sky and smiled, replying, "About half an hour or so."

"Celestia almighty…" Applejack exclaimed.

An elderly, pale green pony that I could only guess was called Granny Smith slapped Applejack with one of her hooves and sternly said, "Watch your tongue, little lady!"

"So…" I asked, bucking to the back, "what's the proper technique for an apple-buck?"

Applejack blushed. "Um… h-here… let me show you…"

For the next two hours, we practiced my technique. I also practiced on trees and eventually copied Applejack's technique exactly. All the apples fell out of the tree, and, for the next few hours after that, we were knocking apples out of trees with incredible efficiency.

Towards noon, we had finished two-thirds of the entire orchard.

"I've never seen someone pick up apple-buckin' that fast…" Applejack said, staring in awe. "You're so serious about your work, too."

"When I'm set on a task, I don't like long breaks," I said. "If I drop it, I won't pick it up again for a while, especially if there are long periods between tasks. Besides, I had some pretty cool help. You and Apple Bloom make it fun."

"Shucks…" Applejack said, blushing redder.

I chuckled.

"I… uh… I guess that's all for today," she continued. "I've got some stuff to take care of in Ponyville this afternoon, but I've gotta get cleaned up first. Tomorrow, then?"

"If Pinkie Pie doesn't throw one of her parties again tonight, for sure," I said, chuckling again.

I left the farm and wandered into town on my own. I sniffed the air and sighed. It was going to be a wonderful day… maybe I should try my mom's recipe? I had always had a decent amount of skill cooking, and had just gotten into baking, so I decided I would try a few things. I first visited the spa to soak and get my hooves trimmed a little, then went back to Twilight's and began to build a recipe from one of the papers I had picked up – a recipe for a sweet, half-and-half cake-bread named _paska_ that I had grown up eating.

Twilight wasn't home. She had left me a note saying she had gotten my note and was in Canterlot for the day doing some work for the Princess, so I had the house to myself.

Once I had mixed all the ingredients for this delicate, complex recipe and had put it in the oven, I decided to do some writing. I sat on the porch and began to observe and write all the different goings-on of the inhabitants of Ponyville – "slice-of-life" writings and simple observations were all they were.

"Looks like Rainbow Dash is doing loop-the-loops in the sky again. Seems to be trying to do another Sonic Rainboom. I think she'd do more of them if she wasn't trying to constantly do them against the pull of gravity."

"Derpy rammed hard into a tree. She seems to be walking fine, so she must not have hit her head very hard. It looked like it connected with her shoulder area more, so she should be fine. She's an excellent post-pony, though – she's delivering those letters with ease, even as she seems to be running into stationary objects a lot. I admire that reliable determination."

"I saw Fluttershy prancing down the street with a couple of her other friends from around town. She was, to my surprise, the loudest one of the group. They said something about being training partners for the 'World Tournament of Silence', whatever that is. They didn't notice me, and I pretended not to notice them so I didn't startle the delicate yellow pony."

Soon, the smell of the three loaves finished. Their beautifully-sweet aroma permeated the house and leaked out into the street. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared in the doorway.

"What'cha got there?" she asked. "That smells really good."

I had just begun to decorate them with cake icing, in preparation for the final touch - sprinkles. "They're called _paska_. It's a dish from my heritage on Earth."

"Twilight was telling me all about it – even made me _double_ Pinkie promise I wouldn't tell anyone who didn't have an Element of Harmony," Pinkie said. "Paska, huh? What's it taste like?"

I quickly stopped her from just upending a whole loaf. "Not only is it hot, I want some left over for the others. You'll get some when everyone else does. Hey, will you get Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack over here tonight? I'd like everyone to try this."

"Okeydokey, lokey!" Pinkie Pie declared. She dashed out.

I smiled. They were going to love my mom's paska. I put them under a glass lid and came back upstairs. I selected a book and returned to lounging on the deck on this bright, sunny day.

While I was waiting for the evening to show up, I decided to try flying. I walked outside Twilight's house and began flapping my wings. Slowly, I gained a small amount of altitude. I tried directing myself any way I could, and steadily moved one way or another.

Suddenly, a scratchy burst of laughter broke my concentration and I dropped to the earth.

"You call that flying? I could fly circles around you!"

This one I couldn't help – "Rainbow Dash!" I shouted, both startled and a little annoyed at my concentration being broken.

"How did you know my name?" she said, glaring down at me. "I don't know you."

I huffed. "Well, let's see…" I used my levitation spell to bring her down off the cloud. She was utterly shocked. "You're the only one with a rainbow-coloured mane and tail, and I've met Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight already. The only one I haven't seen yet is Fluttershy, and she wouldn't have a rainbow-coloured tail and mane. By deductive logic, you're Rainbow Dash."

I set her down in front of me.

"So, you figured out my name… big deal. That doesn't change the fact that I can still fly circles around you," she sneered.

I snorted, dropping my voice down to a low whisper. "Pinkie promise me you won't reveal this to anyone."

"What's that impor-"

"Just do it…" I growled, interrupting her. I never expected to get this mad at Rainbow Dash, but she was really beginning to piss me off.

"Okay, okay…" she said. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye… Whatever."

"This will be confirmed by Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack," I said. "I am from Earth, summoned here by Princess Celestia herself and transformed into a unicorn pegasus by her power. I have not flown before, nor have I ever used magic until yesterday."

"…You're serious," she said, in a tone of disbelief.

I nodded… and once again, Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. I sighed and just walked away.

"Maybe Fluttershy can teach me how to fly better than you," I snarked.

That stopped Rainbow Dash's laughter cold. She flashed around to my front and stopped me from walking away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buster," she retorted. "You don't insult my flying ability like that."

I simply lay down where I was and said very calmly but firmly, "I know what I am, and I know where I come from. I am no delusional pony, and I need your help to fly."

Rainbow Dash was caught off-guard by the firmness in my voice. She leaned in closer.

"You really… aren't a pony by nature, are you?" she whispered.

I shook my head. "Would I be having this much trouble if I was? Twilight showed me how to use my horn. Applejack taught me how to buck. Heck, Apple Bloom helped me refine my walk. I was hoping the best flier in all Equestria could teach me how to fly."

Rainbow Dash immediately puffed up. "Well, I guess I could give you lessons at the fields entering town tomorrow. I've got nothing going on, and we don't have a scheduled rainfall until tomorrow evening, so I won't be busy until late afternoon."

"And about the insult… I apologize for speaking so rashly," I said. "I was already cheesed off because you laughed and distracted me from practicing."

"It's okay, really," Rainbow Dash said. "You were pretty funny, though."

Suddenly, Pinkie zapped into view. She seemed to do that a lot.

"Oh, hi, Dashie! Zytharros has invited us all over to Twilight's for a special treat later this evening. It's called _paska_ and it smells really good. Ya wanna come?"

Pinkie blinked at Dash with wide-open, smiley eyes.

"Um… has Twilight okayed this?" Rainbow Dash asked me.

I shrugged. "I figure once isn't bad. I'll ask her when she gets back from Canterlot this evening. I imagine she'll be really stressed – she has to help Trixie with magic lessons."

Rainbow winced. "Ooh… I don't envy her…"

I edged up against Pinkie Pie. "Besides… you like throwing surprise parties… ri-i-i-i-i-ight? Throw a surprise paska party… because it's a new sweet treat! Don't tell Twilight."

Pinkie Pie's eyes lit up and she shot off to begin the preparations. I chuckled. "She's way too easy to hype up."

Rainbow Dash smiled and chuckled herself. "You know, you're not that bad. Sure, let's start your flight training tomorrow."

Later that evening, the six of us were huddled in Twilight's house and waiting for her to come home. The paska was iced and sprinkled, the room was set up, and everyone was ready to party. Pinkie Pie had stopped by earlier to help me make another batch of three, and on the second try hers were perfect.

Twilight approached the darkened door grumbling and grateful she was home.

"I hope Pinkie's willing to throw one heck of a party tonight. I need to unwind after that… ugh!... com-PLETE-ly di-SAS-trous day in the Castle!"

Spike tried to comfort her, "It's not that bad. I mean, Trixie wasn't harassing you that bad, was she?"

As soon as she opened the door, the six of us exploded from behind various objects and the party started. Pinkie passed the new treats around, the music kicked up, and everyone let loose after a hard day's work.

"This is just what I needed…" Twilight said, finally able to relax. "Thanks, you guys. How did you know what I wanted?"

"Zytharros gave me the idea, Twi," Pinkie said. "He had baked some new stuff for us and wanted to share it. It's called _paska_, and it's from his culture on Earth."

"It tastes good," Twilight said, mouth half-full of paska. "It tastes like a sweetbread."

I nodded and replied, "It is. It's usually eaten in early Spring after the snow melts and the rain comes… sort of like our own Winter Wrap Up celebration, but in my social community's variation, it's in celebration of a hero of our culture."

"Nobody here has mentioned the Winter Wrap Up to you," Twilight observed. "How could you have known about it?"

I went quiet, unsure of how to explain it. Rainbow did a fine enough job shortly, though.

"Probably those documentary makers that show up from that TV station through their own portal," she replied. "They bring our happenings back to Earth with some weird, overly-girly title."

I nodded. "You guys are the stars of a show called 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'. I learned a lot of your customs that way."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Rainbow Dash said, brushing the title off. "I'm still annoyed that they tried to make me take a spa bath… I told those producers I would never do that again!"

Everyone had a good, hearty laugh at that.

"So, Zytharros, you thought the best way to introduce yourself to us was by feigning ignorance and allowing us the pleasure of our introductions?" Rarity asked, clearly delighted. "How polite!"

I returned her smile. "I figured it would soften the shock."

"But the fact you came from another world into ours… didn't that scare you at all?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I probably wouldn't have done what you did."

The yellow Fluttershy had been eyeing me all night with that same nervous look she gave Twilight when she first arrived in Ponyville. She hadn't spoken a word to me all night. I didn't force the issue – I figured I'd let her get to know me for a bit, maybe show up on her land one day and take an interest in her animals.

But she surprised me by asking the next question from behind her luminous pink hair: "I don't mean to interrupt, but… you were human before you came to Equestria, am I right?... I don't mean to pry… I mean, you… um… don't have to answer if you want to…"

I smiled. "I was." I tried to invite more conversation by nodding.

"So, um…" the nervous yellow mare stalled a little. "How many fans of our show are there? We were told they would be mostly little fill-, uh… gir… oh, shoot… I'm all flustered…"

"It's okay," I encouraged. "Deep breaths. Close your eyes and picture a peaceful field with trees of tweeting birds."

She did as I instructed, and relaxed a little. She actually relaxed quite a bit.

"That's the first time I've ever tried that…" she said. "Thanks, Zytharros."

Applejack and Twilight exchanged wide-eyed glances. "He's good," Twilight said.

Applejack blushed. "Tell me about it…"

A lump appeared in my throat. My favourite pony just _thanked_ me!

I quickly swallowed and replied, "No problem."

"So, we were told our audience would be little girls," she continued. "Are they?"

"Let me show you guys something…" I said.

I pulled out my iPhone and, through Twilight's magic, accessed the Internet and showed them a lot of the creativity brought about by 'bronies' and 'pegasisters', the men, women, boys and girls, both young and old, who were fans of the show – something I termed the "human citizenry of Equestria". I also played three songs for them, each remixes done up by the fan community – "Fluttershy's Lament", "20 Percent Cooler", and "Appletastic Spring". Each gained their own fan base… and I almost saw a tear come from Rainbow's eye when she heard what she claimed as "her new theme song". That, however, was replaced with some serious head-banging when the second play-through passed our ears.

Of course, we listened to many of the other tracks, but Twilight's magic soon gave out and we lost connection except for what I had on my phone.

It wasn't long before all the ponies were in awe at how popular they were… Rarity in particular.

"How popular am I?" she asked. "Am I not the most smashing thing on the Internet?"

Pinkie Pie shrugged. "It looks like we've all got fans!"

"I'd rather not know… about my fan… uh… following…" Fluttershy mumbled. "I don't like fame…"

"But you're the mo-bbmmbmbmmbrrmrmb…" Pinkie Pie began, but I slapped a hoof over her mouth and muffled her speech.

"She doesn't want to know, she doesn't want to know," I said. "I'm content in leaving it at that."

Fluttershy's ears went back and she gave the cutest shy blush and smile I had ever seen. It caused me to blush a little myself.

Applejack stretched. "My stars…" she said, yawning. "I didn't know how tired I was until now. I've gotta head'er home… the moon's settin'."

"What?" Rarity shrieked. "Where has the time gone? I have to get my beauty sleep! Sorry, people, I cannot stay any longer."

"I'll help you two pack up," Pinkie Pie said to me and Twilight. "After all, I helped make the mess!"

I stretched my wings. "Applejack, on second thought, would you mind if I spent tomorrow with Rainbow Dash? I don't think I'll have time to come and help before the rain."

Applejack sighed and said, "Alright. Make sure you show up the following day."

"Don't worry, I will," I said Suddenly, a random thought that crushed my mood popped into my head: _I wonder what my family is doing?_

Slowly everyone left and eventually the decorations were taken down. Pinkie left, and Twilight and Spike went to bed…

…but I couldn't sleep. My mind was on my family. I walked outside into the night air and proceeded to head to the outskirts of town for a walk. I looked into the sky and began to sing…

_The stars I sleep under for the second night in a row_

_ Are not the stars you sleep under once again_

_ I had hoped to be home for you to cuddle with_

_ But this land needs my assistance_

_ Forgive me, my Rosebud, for I am away_

_ Eventually, to you I will return_

_ For now, don't hold it against me_

_ While I hang out with these ponies_

_ I am on a mission_

_ I can feel it now_

_ Lend me your strength from wherever you are_

_ So I can return to our town_

_ I am on a mission_

_ I can feel it now_

_ Oh, my Rosebud_

_ I wish you could hold me now_

_ I wish you could hold me now…_

I began to sob a little. I was homesick, and I wanted to go back home.

"Zytharros?"

The soft voice was welcome in the crushing emptiness of the night sky. The soft pink of Fluttershy's mane and the pale yellow of her coat seemed to glow in the night sky. She approached me and sat beside me.

"Was that you singing?" she asked.

I swallowed and wiped my face on my arms. "Yes."

"Such a sad song…" she said. I could tell she had cried a little on the way to talk with me. "Would you like to talk about her?"

I sighed. "My wife can be a handful, but I love her. She has a disability that limits how much physical activity she can take, so I have to do a lot for her. She gives all of what she can in return, and even though it makes my job harder at the end of the day, it is inspiring to watch her give it her all. I wish she could be here to be with me… she would know exactly what to say."

"You sound like you miss her a lot," the pale mare said.

"I do. It's been two days now, and I'm going stir crazy!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad I got to help, but right now I just want to go home…" I generated a picture of her in my mind and projected it onto the grass in front of us. "This is her," I said before slowly letting the image fade into the grass.

I lay down and nibbled at the greenery at my feet.

Fluttershy thought for a bit, then replied, "If I may make a suggestion…"

"Shoot," I replied.

She continued, "Let her be your motivation to save us. Let going home be the reward for our salvation. Let seeing your wife again be what keeps you going."

She nuzzled against my cheek. "You'll make it. I know you will."

"Thank you, Fluttershy," I said, smiling.

She got up and walked away. I watched her leave, then sighed, looking back at the grass.

"Rosebud… I'll be back," I said, speaking to the stars in the sky.


	3. Day 3

_Day 3_

"Okay, new pegasus, since I'm starting you from the bottom, I've got a few things to tell you," Rainbow Dash commandingly declared. "First, I am your instructor and as such I want no lip from you. Second, I am going to teach you how to fly 40% cooler than any other pegasus in Ponyville. Third, I am going to make you wish you were still in bed. Is that clear?"

We were standing on the ground just outside of Ponyville.

I was listening to "The Life of a Twilight Star" on loop as motivation, and shouted my reply – "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. Now, watch carefully," Dash said.

She began flapping her wings to gain some lift, like I had done yesterday. I copied her movements and we lifted ten feet off the ground.

"So, now, to turn your body, you use your tail in combination with your hips."

I followed that rainbow mane through a simple obstacle course, moving around and learning the basics of flight. I paid careful attention to how she flapped, the flutter in the wings around sharp corners, the bend of her body in corners, and how she gained and lost altitude. However, for never having done it before, I was pretty tired after that first exercise.

"Oh gosh," I said. "I didn't think you had to use up that much energy to fly…" I said, gasping.

Rainbow chuckled. "We're not done for today."

She landed in front of me. "I want you to practice these wing stretches. You don't seem like you were very athletic on Ear…gmpthpth!"

"Appleford!" With my hoof in her mouth, I whispered, "Say I came from Appleford!"

Rainbow coughed and muttered, "Okay, okay…"

I released her and sighed. "Remember, you can't tell anyone."

Rainbow growled. "Yeah, yeah… You don't seem like you were very athletic in… _Appleford_. I want you to stretch. You don't fly as well as I do without stretches."

I watched her, imitating her movements to stretch. I found they stretched some pretty vital areas for anypony, in addition to the wing stretches for the pegasi. I decided at that point to begin a fitness program that day –and stick to it. Part of it would include some running, another part would include flying, and a third part would include magic training. I discovered Rainbow Dash had some extensive anatomical intelligence about ponies of all stripes because not only did she show me the stretches, she also explained how each muscle, tendon, membrane, and bone movement affected each other. She gave me some proper stretch pointers, then had to bid farewell and take off to do the weather.

"Let's do this again!" I said.

Rainbow winked at me and replied, "Sure! It was fun!"

I came back into town just as the pegasi took off to rearrange the clouds with Rainbow Dash. I stopped by a couple of fruit stands who were just closing up for the weather and grabbed myself a couple of fruits with the change I had earned yesterday on Applejack's farm. I retreated back to Twilight's library, beating the rain and getting indoors just as Rainbow Dash kicked the floodgates open.

"What's up, Zytharros?" Twilight asked, thinking there was an emergency.

I looked behind me. "I beat the rain."

Just then, the deluge hit the ground.

"Oh no," Rarity said. "I'm going to have to walk home in… _that_?"

"Let me help, Rarity," I offered. "What would you like me to carry?"

"Oh!" Rarity said, brightening up. "I don't think you need to carry anything, except my book… and my umbrella… and my latest materials."

"I can do that," I said.

I levitated the umbrella above her head, the book under the umbrella, and the material under the book. We had a casual walk through the rain to her abode, chatting about colour combinations and gems – something not especially of interest to me, but it seemed to thrill her enough. The conversation moved to more interesting ventures soon, though.

"I bet you would look simply fetching in a suit I make," she said.

I smiled. "I was wondering if you would say that. I don't have any money for you at the moment, but I would like one eventually."

"Well, just come over when you have the bits to buy," she said cheerfully. "Would you like to try sewing? I've got some simple designs you can work on. They're not terribly complex."

I smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not a tailor."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Back in Appleford…" I began.

Rarity threw me a questioning look… "Appleford? I thought you said-"

I sighed. "Just roll with it, please. I've already told Rainbow Dash to tell people that…"

"Oh, right…" she remembered. "You all made us Pinkie promise not to tell anyone outside of our group. But really… what kind of harm could befall us?"

"I… don't know…" I admitted "…and I would rather not know. It would still be best if only a select few know."

"Has Applejack told anyone else?" the gem specialist asked.

I closed my eyes and thought for a second. I gave my reply when I opened them again: "I don't think she did, except maybe Apple Bloom. She had to confirm it with Twilight Sparkle before she even believed me, and now she understands the gravity of the situation. She's likely made Apple Bloom Pinkie promise, too."

We arrived and entered Rarity's boutique.

"Well, the letter from the Princess certainly makes things official," Rarity said.

"I know," I confirmed. "Anyways, as I was saying, back on Earth I took a sewing class and, although I successfully made a pair of shorts, I got too stressed with figuring all the logistics out. I never did like that class… I liked my cooking class a lot better."

"That's how you learned how to bake that scrumptious sweetbread from the other evening!" Rarity exclaimed. "That treat was simply divine!"

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, it was nice talking with you," she said, "but if you'll excuse me, I have to get working on some of my new designs."

So I bid my farewells, left and returned to Twilight's house. When I arrived, I shook my fur out and entered the library.

"Welcome back," Twilight greeted warmly. "I never got a chance to thank you properly for the breakfast, paska, and party on the same day, Zytharros. You did a lot for us."

"It was nothing," I said. "In truth, I think I did it to try to forget my home for a while."

I then told her all about the previous night and my conversation with Fluttershy. Twilight's face dropped into a look of concern.

"Like Fluttershy said, we'll get you home," Twilight reaffirmed.

I nodded slowly. "I know. I just wish there was a way to communicate to my family I was okay."

"Well," Twilight said, "I took the liberty of doing a bit of research for you when I was in Canterlot last. I don't think you need to worry about lost time."

I snapped my neck to look at her in confusion. "Wouldn't time pass equally between the dimensions?"

"It turns out, it doesn't," Twilight informed. "Just like Pinkie Pie can… well… do anything she wants because she doesn't care for any physical laws, those taken from their living dimension into the cartoon world often return within seconds of time passing. Only in select cases where one passes regularly between the barriers, whether cartoon or real, like in the case of Michael Jordan in the Warner Brothers' movie "Space Jam" on Earth, does time actually maintain a parallel normalcy. Since none of us knows how to travel freely between the dimensions, except the Princess herself, and she does not do so routinely enough… I asked her while I was there… I suspect there has been only a few seconds at most that have passed on Earth since you left. The rate will have slowed from the time you arrived as well."

"That makes no sense," I said. "You guys don't move until we animate you in new episodes in our world. How can the dimensions act together in that way?"

"That's the funny thing…" Twilight continued. "It appears that the parallel worlds affect each other in funny ways, depending on one's location. From this side of the barrier, for instance, it would be your world appearing as stills and art, and from your side it would be us."

"Is this one of the topics studied by Starswirl the Bearded?" I asked, looking back at the bookshelf. "You have a lot of books by him."

"No," Twilight acknowledged. "He never got into this field. It was his ninth assistant Tangerine Hopes that wrote this book. She was especially gifted with trans-dimensional travel."

She showed me the back of the book. On the back was an image of a pale orange unicorn with angular deep-pink eyes and a black mane. Her cutie mark was barely visible in the picture – an angled dagger stabbing a planet.

I was a little freaked out by that cutie mark, so different compared to everypony else's.

"Twilight, what's this supposed to mean?" I asked.

I highlighted the cutie mark with my magic when she took the book back. She puzzled over that cutie mark for a little bit.

"It's far more violent than any other cutie mark I've seen," she said, visibly alarmed. "It's something I should bring to Princess Celestia's attention next time I'm in Canterlot. How did I miss this?"

We pored over the book together for hours, flipping back and forth and comparing notes and interpretations. It seemed like Tangerine had written her book like a diary. She described being hired by Starswirl when she was just a little filly, and over time had discovered that their talents were in different areas. She left after just two years to study in a remote edge of the forest to study trans-dimensional travel. She perfected her trans-dimensional travel and warped between 'layers of reality', as she called them, her cutie mark appearing after one of her adventures landed her in the wrong Ponyville and causing her to obliterate the Ponyville she was in. At that point, the writing got less and less cohesive – "…the solar solstice doubles quantum physics…", "…Ponyville is the source of all hate…", "NUMA NUMA NUMA BACKQUORZORGUQ…" until finally the book was a garbled mess of script, scribble, and torn pages. A couple looked like they had been chewed on.

Twilight closed the book slowly. She was as visibly mortified as I felt. A terribly ominous feeling settled over the library.

"Oh no…" she squeaked. "Tangerine Hopes… She may be… the calamity…"

Seeing that Twilight was in no mental state to write a letter to Celestia, I snapped to and called Spike. The little purple dragon ran to our side. I scribbled a hastily-written note.

To Princess Celestia and the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony,

I am Zytharros, the one who was summoned from Earth. A matter of grave importance has arisen, and Twilight and I must speak with all of you immediately. While doing research on trans-dimensional travel, we came across an ancient journal written by a unicorn named Tangerine Hopes. We began reading the journal, curious as to her theories and practices.

Little did we know we had just opened the diary of a mad filly.

We discovered that this filly's research had created an omnipresent and ghastly apparition in space-time itself – Applejack, this means she's an insane ghost pony that sees everything happening in all of time in her field of vision all at once. I would take that to mean her 'real self' is trapped between layers of reality.

This merits further study, but for now I believe that Tangerine Hopes is the calamity.

Please allow us to meet with you as soon as ponily possible. If my theory is true, we – and I mean all of us: Equestria, my home world of Earth, and the entire fabric of every universe that has ever existed – are in a level of danger I cannot accurately describe.

May the Elements of Harmony be enough to save existence itself.

Zytharros

Spike sent each of the letters on. Twilight was still in shock. She was shaking badly. The journal had terrified the mare – and I was soon about to find out why.

"Ma-ma-mag-g-gic c-c-can… d-do that…" she asked, stuttering.

She kept on repeating the statement over and over again. She looked around at her library. Each book visually frightened her.

"Tell me magic can't drive you mad…" Twilight begged me. "Tell me it can't…"

I couldn't speak. I didn't know the answer. I didn't want to disappoint her, but the proof was there. In truth, it terrified me, too, but… I didn't know what to think.

"Everything's so new to me…" I said. "I… can't answer you, Twilight…"

She looked down, her eyes still as large as saucers. She curled in on herself and shook violently. The fear was getting to her.

Suddenly, I heard Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie burst through the door. They saw me trying to comfort Twilight.

"What happened!" Pinkie Pie asked. "This is the scarediest I've ever seen her."

I pointed to the open journal on the ground. "We just discovered a possible source of the calamity in that book."

Rarity picked up the book and magically carried it as the rest of her friends read it. They slowly began to understand the letter Zytharros sent – and why it was so urgent.

Spike suddenly barfed up another letter. I picked it up and read it.

To Zytharros,

I hope, for all our sakes, you are wrong. I am willing to meet to discuss this extreme case with you and your friends. However, I am unable to do so today. I am indisposed in Las Pegasus at the moment, taking care of some royal business. Come to Canterlot tomorrow. We will talk about it then.

Princess Celestia.

"I will not lose my sanity!" Twilight suddenly shouted.

She began to pull down and tear up all her works about magic. I tried to stop her with my magic, but soon discovered Twilight's power. However, although I was weak in my magical knowledge and was handily pushed back by Twilight, within ten minutes of battling her intellectually-earned magic, I realized my magic was imagination-based, not knowledge-based like Twilight's, and repelled her magic from the books she was destroying. I also quickly paralyzed her temporarily and blackened the room instantly, save for small pools of light around each holder of the Elements. This confused everyone in the room except for myself.

"What in the name of Celestia are you doing, Zytharros?" she shrieked. "Magic will destroy all our minds! It must be stopped. Someone hand me a saw so I can cut off my horn!"

"Twilight…" I said softly.

She rambled on. "I have to destroy these books. I have to lose my magic. I have to go and hide. I'm a danger to everyone… A hermit… Yes, a hermit's what I…"

"Shut up!" I shouted, my booming voice echoed throughout the house.

Everyone stopped what they were doing. Fluttershy cowered behind Applejack, who cowered behind Rarity, who hid in turn behind Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie shied away on her own, though she didn't hide. Twilight cowered in my magical hold.

"Get a hold of yourself!" I said. "You're the only one of the seven of us who has the power to right this, and that's only if we all stick together."

Twilight sobbed. "You're the one the Princess summoned this time."

"But my role is only to amplify your power!" I reminded. "You must supply it."

"But I'm useless if I go mad!" she protested.

I sighed. "You've dedicated yourself to the study of magic for your whole life. You understand all the consequences of every spell you use. Your power is largely under your control – exactly as it should be, for the safety of the world. As long as you keep yourself aware of that fact, you should be fine."

I let Twilight descend to the floor. I was sure she wouldn't tear up her books anymore.

"But what if I can't? What if, in the future, it takes control of me? I can't bear the thought of losing control of my power like Tangerine did and…" her aggressiveness disappeared "…harming my friends…." Twilight said, lowing in sadness.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy were coming out of their fear. The storm had passed.

However, Pinkie Pie walked up to her, unnaturally sombre. "Listen, Twi. I may be a little crazy, but that's my choice. According to that book, she sees the entire universe in front of her at all times. I would lose my mind if I had to watch everything all at once…" then she reverted back to her happy self "…oh, wait, I do watch everything! At least, in Ponyville!"

"Nopony's brain is built to handle that kind of input," I continued the thought. "We're all built to focus on a linear stream of events as we move through life. To see it all in a single shot… we would go insane like she did."

I approached her again and offered a kind smile. The light restored to the room and everyone calmed down. Twilight Sparkle lay down on the ground and cried. I joined her, thought I didn't cry. It wasn't long before we all lay in a little circle in support of our frightened comrade, some crying, others with a simple look of concern.

"The book scared me," she said. "The fact that someone had lost their mind studying magic… it frightened me so badly."

She looked at me with a smile of genuine thankfulness. "Thanks for being here; Zytharros, Pinkie Pie, all of you. You stopped me from making one of the worst mistakes I could have ever made."

"You still damaged some books," I said. "I can help you re-transcribe them, if you like."

Twilight looked away. "I couldn't… Not after that outburst…"

"Your fears are well-founded," Rarity encouraged. "But we can overcome this together."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "That's right. We got through Nightmare Moon and Discord, we'll get through this."

Fluttershy nodded her support silently.

Applejack smiled. "We can and we will."

Twilight looked relieved and a little humbled. "Thanks, friends."

"Now, let's get those books repaired and our facts straight," I said. "Remember – we're meeting the Princess tomorrow, and we should have our theories well hashed out."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to hashing!" Rainbow Dash said impatiently.

So that's exactly what we did. We repaired destroyed books as we bantered over the journal and its' meanings long into the night, coming up with a list of notes and a rough draft that we would go over on the train to Canterlot in the morning.

It didn't take me long to fall asleep that night – battling Twilight was the hardest thing I had ever done, and it nearly broke me.


	4. Day 4

_Day 4_

The following morning, I began assembling some things needed for the day trip. I filled Twilight's saddle bag with the journal, the group's notes, and several other small articles I felt were important. She was going to lend me a few bits again to buy my own saddle bag in Canterlot, something we discussed while we were bantering about the journal – "may as well show you around while you're there", she had said. Unfortunately, there was no time for my planned workout, but I figured I'd get started on that later. I had just finished packing Twilight Sparkle's saddle bag and settled into making breakfast when she came down the stairs.

"Morning, T," I said.

"Morning," She grumbled. "I didn't sleep well at all… I'm still worried about my magic." She began making herself some toast.

"Tell me about it – I barely got any sleep because she was tossing and turning," Spike complained.

"If I can help it, Twi, I won't let it happen," I assured her.

Twilight's toast popped. She began carefully applying condiments to it.

"I got your saddle bag packed for you," I said.

Twilight dropped her knife. "What did you do with the stuff that was in there?"

I looked over my shoulder. "It's over by your desk on the floor in a neat little pile. Don't worry. I didn't go through it."

"Don't go through my bag," she said, visibly disturbed. "Just… don't… ever again."

"K," I said meekly. "Didn't want to cause a fuss, just helping…"

Twilight sighed. "It's okay… I'm just glad you didn't go through all the stuff inside. That's all. The stress from yesterday... you understand, don't you?" As she approached me, she sighed. "I… just… don't know anymore…"

She dropped her plate on the table and collapsed on the chair, head resting on her forelegs. Confusion was apparent, even in her breathing. She groaned and flailed a bit before settling down and taking a bite of her toast.

I smiled, "You'll work it out eventually. I'll help where I can. Celestia should make everything clear."

Twilight took another bite of toast. "I hope so… this confusion is tiring."

An hour later, all eight of us, Spike included, had boarded the train to Canterlot and were travelling through some of the switchbacks up to the capital city of Equestria. As it came into view, I was still wondering what kind of technology allowed a city like that to hang so precariously over such a steep cliff. The beauty of the city was astounding, though – a three-tiered, pearly-white city with the castle at the top of the town.

"I can never get enough of the high class and pizzazz that this town has!" Rarity exclaimed. "It just screams 'me'!"

Applejack smiled nervously. "I never feel right in that city… Too much… uh…"

"Formality?" I asked, completing her sentence.

She nodded and replied, "Yeah, that one."

"I prefer a less-formal setting as well," I said. "Somewhere where I can kick up my feet and relax and not be constantly pressed by social pressure."

Fluttershy was looking out the window, quietly enjoying the scenery. Pinkie Pie was absent from the train car, but I could hear her running around and annoying other passengers. Her voice was as distinct as the sunrise – bright and cheery, and maybe a little abrasive in its' sharpness. Twilight had her nose in a book, but she seemed uncharacteristically distracted. She would read a page, then flip it over, flip it back, seem to lose her place, and return to the page she just read.

Rainbow Dash had spent most of the trip listening to "20 Percent Cooler" – she had been obsessed with that song since I had shown it to her earlier. She had bought a magically-infused MP3 player on her last trip into Cloudsdale. It was a brand-new product released by a company based in Manehattan and produced in Fillydelphia, and we had traded tracks when we met at the train station. You could tell when she got to the chorus. She rapped the entire chorus and bobbed her head.

"This song is so… awesome!" Rainbow blurted as it started again… at least, that's what I assumed.

The only ones who were really interested in conversation were Applejack and Rarity.

"I don't know why you two have so much trouble with Canterlot," she said innocently. "It's just the most hip, happening, and fashionable place in all Equestria."

"I guess some of us like a place where we can get a little… roughed up," I replied.

Applejack nodded. "I'd rather get my hooves dirty than spend all day groomin' 'em for everypony else's eyes."

"Though a good clean-up after a hard day's work is always worth it," I said.

Applejack smiled and exclaimed, "Hear hear!" She pumped a hoof to the sky.

Rarity looked a little disappointed that I wasn't as refined as she thought I would be.

"So, what's Earth like?" Fluttershy suddenly asked, her head resting atop Applejack's hat.

With that one question, all pony eyes were on me. Even Pinkie Pie, who I swore was at the front of the train, was there. Our car was towards the back of the train, and I hadn't heard any doors open or close. Pinkie in person was almost a little overwhelming, to be honest.

I cleared my throat. "Earth is massive. It has all kinds of landscapes, from blowing desert sands to high, mountainous canyons, to cliffs that would intimidate Rainbow Dash, to forests and fields that Fluttershy would fall in fanatical love with. Where I live, it is a long valley surrounded by mountain peaks."

"Where are your sophisticated areas?" Rarity asked.

I smiled, knowing that question would pop up. "It depends on what you would consider sophisticated. If you're looking for royalty, you're looking at either England, Morocco, Japan, or Saudi Arabia. If you're looking for wealth and parties and things like that, then you're looking at the U.S., Japan, Canada… any of those countries."

Rainbow Dash jumped in: "What about sports? Racing, flying, that kind of thing...?"

We spent the next two hours talking about Earth. I tried to tell them what I knew, and grew especially animated with what I was a fan of. Rarity was fascinated with all the wealth located in the G-20, Fluttershy with the goings on of nature, Rainbow Dash with the multitude of sports, Pinkie Pie with the club scene (which I admitted I wasn't too familiar with), Applejack with my personal home and family, and Twilight Sparkle simply with "knowing it all". We quickly passed what remained of the two hour train ride this way, and comparing my experiences in Ponyville with those on Earth.

We arrived in Canterlot and stepped off the train. I noted that the mountain was literally the only thing blocking the town from having a perfect 360-degree view of the lower valley for thousands of miles around.

The city itself was beautiful, a true sight to behold, and every bit as interesting as Twilight and Rarity had described it while walking to the train earlier. The pearl-coloured buildings appeared to be built in such a way that everything was connected and supported by metal rods tied into the mountain. The city was literally strapped to the mountain.

"Heaven help Canterlot if people find the core of this town's support system," I mumbled.

Twilight spoke, "Huh?"

I looked at her, then back at the thick, steel cables. "They hold this town up?"

Twilight nodded. "They've remained secure since the founding of Equestria," she said proudly.

_They look like it,_ I thought, concerned. _How long has it been since they were checked… or even maintained?_

The eight of us wandered through the town of Canterlot, proceeding toward the castle, but stopping here and there to see different sites. I picked up my saddle-bag – a light green bag with a quill-and-music-note button. The person in charge of the till said it was "a specially-made gift from the Princess" and would not accept my money, so I accepted it and we carried on.

I looked over at Twilight. She was staring at me with a bucketful of questions in her eyes.

Figuring she wanted to find out how the Princess had known we would be stopping here, I simply said, "Ask the Princess when we get there."

We arrived in Canterlot Castle. It was the first time I had ever seen a castle of any kind in my life, and I was in awe at the magnificence of the building. The scope and the scale upon which it rested was absolutely…

"Marvelous!" I said.

After taking it in, we moved to the throne room where Celestia waited. I watched each of the seven members greet their princess… _my_ princess for the time being… in time. Twilight was the only one that nuzzled up to her directly. The rest stood back and watched this reconnection of master and student with pleasant looks. I slowly approached the regal figure bathing the room with a slight luminescent glow, her pastel-coloured hair and tail freely waving in a wind that only it knew. I was compelled to bow before her, not out of worship or anything, but just out of amazement. I stayed down on one knee for a while.

I heard Twilight say, "Princess, this is Zytharros from Earth, the one you summoned."

I stood up and met her eyes – the kindest, yet most mischievous eyes I had ever seen.

"Would it be fair to say that you don't mind a disruption of royal protocol every now and again, Princess?" I asked.

She chuckled. "That's not usually the first question I get asked. However, you're correct in your assumption, Zytharros."

"You can't live with your snout in the clouds all the time, I guess," I commented. "Not like some ponies around here. You'd drown in the rain."

Celestia burst forth in laughter. "In all my years as Princess of Equestria, I have never heard that one. I welcome you with open hooves, Zytharros."

I, Applejack and Rarity chuckled. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash rolled on the ground, killing themselves with laughs. Fluttershy snorted. Twilight's jaw dropped agape. She couldn't believe what I had just done.

"Come. Let's discuss your findings," Celestia said, walking side-by-side with the eight of us into her meeting room, "and compare them with what my research team's found."

All eight of us moved into the neighbouring room, labeled the Strategy Room. Each of us took a seat. We were soon joined by a team of five other ponies, who were set to present their findings along with ours. Twilight parked herself right beside Celestia. I sandwiched myself between Fluttershy and Applejack, who bookended Rarity with Twilight. Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Rainbow Dash sat near the back of the table, well away from everyone else and without ponies across from them.

I immediately disliked the one who sat across from me – a filly wearing sunglasses, arms folded, and looking down at me. She looked like she had spent too long in the dank depths of Equestria's dungeons. Her mane and tail were frizzed up even worse than Pinkie Pie's.

The one a little to my right, across from Applejack, was a pale pony. His face was thin and decrepit, at least a hundred years older than everyone at the table… except the Princess, of course. He was bald and his massive glasses nearly dwarfed his head.

The one who sat across from Fluttershy looked to have the same demeanor as her – quiet, solitudal, caring, and compassionate. However, her harsh red coat and white mane would have suggested a different personality if it hadn't been for her eyes – those same, shy, reserved eyes.

Rarity was staring down her compatriot across the table. They were comparable in style, both strikingly beautiful ponies, but each in their own way. Regardless, both of them noted a fashion rival in each other… and both were acutely aware of this fact. However, it was unusual for her to react to a _stallion_ rival in such a manner.

Finally, there was the one across from Twilight. Like the grape-coloured magic pony, this one was the obvious leader of the group. Her cutie mark was an omega symbol – as in the epitome of knowledge on everything scientific. She taunted Twilight with some weird eyes and funny faces, but Twilight just stared at her blankly as she did it.

We introduced ourselves and discovered the names of her science research team. The one who sat in front of Twilight was called Luminescence. Rarity's rival was named Intermittence. Applejack's table partner was Allegiance. My snooty "partner" was Quintessence, and finally the one next to her was called simply Sentience.

Each member presented their findings, but before we got into anything serious something would pop up that would deteriorate the entire meeting into an argument. Whenever this occurred, I felt a disturbance behind the wall of reality – and to this day, I don't understand what I felt. I knew something was there. I felt it try to work its way into my mind, and then leave, unsuccessfully completing its mission.

That was how I came to know what to "feel" for.

I saw the waves as this unseen force went from person to person. Rainbow Dash was the first to respond. Her arrogance flared up every now and again. This caused Quintessence to snark back, Twilight and Rarity to jump in and defend Rainbow, Allegiance to badger them both, and the rest of the crew to descend into shouting matches. These waves happened repeatedly.

The third time this happened, in which even Princess Celestia joined in the argument, I noticed Applejack was also wondering what was happening. However, it looked like her words, questions, and even table-smacking demands for silence were falling on deaf ears. She was trying to get everyone to calm down.

I decided to try something. I put out a low level general magic wave. There was no particular spell attached, so it had no effect except blanketing the room with the thinnest of magical curtains. It revealed a pony-shaped disturbance whose silhouette seemed to match up with Tangerine Hopes'. I was only able to catch a quick glance before she disappeared into a void, but I was certain it was her.

After that, there were no more interruptions. I didn't bring it up that day, just letting everypony speak their piece and allowing the time to pass organically. The meeting went off without anther hitch, and we left with some interesting ideas… and everyone except for myself oblivious to the magical happenings. Applejack looked at me, helpless. She knew something had happened, and it terrified her.

Later that evening, I was up studying in the royal library, looking over some of Twilight's old books that she no longer used. I read up on several things, especially relating to Tangerine Hopes. She had a lot of writings telling of far-off places and dimensions she had visited, but about the middle of one of the books, she began questioning her role in the dimensions. From that point on, her writings darkened. They talked about anger and resentment of those with "fixed locations", and in one bright flash of clarity realized "with the spell I had created, I had left a piece of me behind in every dimension I travelled to."

Her writings stopped there. There were no other books, no scrolls, no papers, nothing.

"How did Princess Celestia keep this a secret from Twilight and her friends all these years?" I asked myself.

"Keep what a secret?" a friendly orange Missourian pony asked.

I turned and smiled at Applejack. "Couldn't sleep either, eh?"

"Not a wink, Zy," she admitted. "What was that? Back there at the meetin', I mean."

I thought for a second, recalling all that had happened. "I think Tangerine Hopes made an appearance," I said worriedly.

Applejack was mortified. "How come we didn't see her?" she exclaimed.

I shivered. My next few thoughts terrified me, but I put them out there anyway.

"She appears to be a crafty pony," I said. "She wields her magic very subtly, making suggestions to the subconscious of an individual. I felt her darkness enter my mind, become repulsed, then leave."

"How come I wasn't affected?" Applejack asked.

I admitted, "I don't know, A.J. She affected everyone else at that table, almost as if she was toying with us, playing with us, finding out our weaknesses."

"This is scarin' me," Applejack said. "If her magic is _that_ subtle, how can we protect our friends?"

I sighed an "I don't know", lying down on a pillow. Applejack did the same.

"Did you feel anything enter your mind?" I asked.

"Well, I did get a mighty fine headache, but I didn't feel any different beyond that," she recalled.

I took the book I had just finished reading from the desk it was on. "It seems dimensional magic is very subtle, very picky, and very specific. It requires a great deal of care and finesse to wield. It affects the subconscious, instead of the consciousness of the user."

"…Say what?" Applejack said.

"What it does is it affects the stuff in your body that just… happens… digestion, your deepest thoughts, breathing… those kinds of things," I said. "The headache you felt was likely a war between your stubbornness and her will. She was trying to steal your mind."

"Why that no good, filthy, little, rotten…" she said, flustered by anger. "Nobody takes control of Applejack except me!"

I smiled. "That resolve just saved your neck," I said.

Suddenly, we heard a creak. "That's what happened…?" an unusually meek, scratchy voice said.

"Rainbow Dash!" I exclaimed, "You too?"

She had been crying, and pretty intensely too. "I have never been so terrified in my life," she whimpered. "The things I said… I… they… um…"

I gave her a hug. "It's okay, Dashie…" I said.

She buried her face in my chest and cried. Nopony had ever seen this side of Rainbow Dash before. Applejack was really worried if Rainbow's "coolness" was that shook up.

"Tell me what happened!" Rainbow demanded through sobs. "What the hell just happened to me?"

I told her what I had just finished telling Applejack. Instead of getting angry, Rainbow's face descended into sheer terror.

"My _mind_ is… _vulnerable_?" she whimpered.

Applejack nuzzled up to her as well. "It's alright. Zytharros is workin' on a solution to help us."

I nodded. "I'm doing all I can for you girls. Say, where are the rest of them?"

Applejack sighed. "Fluttershy got her tail so up in a knot she left for Ponyville right after the meetin'. Rarity is sound asleep. Pinkie Pie is stewing in her room, pacing back and forth and muttering things. Twilight… I thought I heard her crying as I passed by her bedroom. She hadn't come out all afternoon, since the meetin' even."

"I… I was…" another pony said.

"Oh, Twilight…" I said, concerned.

Twilight had dark circles under her eyes. She was an absolute wreck. Sweat drenched her nightclothes, her demeanor was dark, and her mane looked like Pinkie Pie's.

"Twi-child…" I said without thinking, simply amazed at her suddenly-disheveled state.

Twilight was shocked that Rainbow Dash was in the fetal position, wrapped around me and speechless. I was stroking her hair. Applejack stood above the both of us, looking on.

"Rainbow!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

I told the two newcomers what I had told Applejack, and Twilight what Rainbow had told Applejack and I.

"Tangerine Hopes?" Twilight asked. "She was at the meeting?"

"I can't be sure… but the silhouette was the same," I answered.

"Never again…" Rainbow suddenly mumbled. She leapt up and knocked me over, rage, fear, and pain blending together in a look so fierce it intimidated the rest of us. "Never again will that dimensional… WITCH… touch my mind!"

"Did any of you feel anything enter your minds?" I asked, repeating the question I had asked of Applejack earlier.

Twilight thought for a bit. "Well, there was an odd tingling, like when I use magic, but a little off."

"And I thought I heard the Wonderbolts saying I was their new leader," Rainbow said, "just before I got a large, overwhelming rush of pride."

I nodded. "That's good. You know what to feel for the next time she attacks."

Rainbow thought for a second, "Hey, yeah! That's true! We can wallop her next time!"

"Don't get two steps ahead of where you are," I said. "I'm still not sure how to deal with her."

"So? You just spot the jerk and we pounce," Dash said. "What else's there?"

"Well, considering I spotted her just before she disappeared into the fabric of the dimensions, there's a little more to it than that," I said.

"She actually disappeared? Before your very eyes?" Applejack asked.

I nodded. "As soon as she felt the magic wave I put out."

"What spell did you use?" Twilight asked.

I shrugged. "Well, nothing, really… just a general blanket emission."

"How did you do that?" she asked. "I mean, I thought magic was only supposed to activate when you used a spell."

"The last time I emitted a spell, back in the library preparing for our journey here, I felt out the magical energy," I said. "I figured out how to simply release it on the train, and realized it was infinitely easier than any book made it seem."

"You'll have to show me some time," Twilight said.

I smiled. "I will. For now, we should all get some sleep. We have to find Fluttershy tomorrow. That's going to take some doing, I think."

"This doesn't sound like something we can run from," Applejack said, looking down at the floor while referring to our latest opponent. "She'll find us wherever we go."

"If she's even after us," I said. "We still don't know Tangerine's motivations. Let's just gather our frightened friends and head home tomorrow."

Rainbow curled herself up. "I feel a lot better now."

"Glad I could help," I said.

"Um…" Applejack squirmed while she was settling down. "Is it okay if… y'know… I sleep here… tonight?"

I nodded. "If you feel it would put you at ease, then I'm fine with it. Same with the rest of you."

So Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle made themselves comfortable near me, Applejack moving the closest. I smiled – these fillies were becoming like sisters to me.

Yet, even as I allowed my energy to wane, I couldn't stop thinking about Fluttershy. Something about her situation in particular bothered me, and although I got to sleep, it proved a restless and disturbing night with dreams of dark and disturbing ideas. I was glad when I woke up the next morning.


	5. Day 5

_Day 5_

The method with which I was awakened wasn't the best. It seemed like Rainbow Dash had found Skillet's "Monster" on my iPhone and was jumping around the library when she tripped over my head and crashed onto the other two girls near me. This caused a substantial kink in my neck and several shouts at and a quick apology from Dash. Also, out of nowhere, an alarm was rung, and what felt like the entirety of Canterlot shook and shuddered.

Suddenly, the unthinkable occurred – Canterlot began to fall from its' mountain mooring! Rainbow and I quickly sprang into action. I tried flying and succeeded, grabbing Applejack with a levitation spell, while Rainbow grabbed Twilight. We both flew through the falling remains of the city searching for our only remaining friends in the castle – Rarity and Spike.

Rainbow Dash was the first to spot them. They had leapt clear of the castle and were making their way along the shattering roads of Canterlot to leap clear of the city. With some deft flying moves, she made her way away from the city in time. I tried to follow her as best I could, but I was slow. Applejack was terrified, screaming and hollering for me to save her. I dodged three fast-falling stones, manoeuvered my way into a small room, and dashed for the window. Continually flying downward, all I had to do was direct my trajectory away from the core of the city.

I looked up and was instantly struck in the back with a stone. I screamed in pain, dropping Applejack and my flight simultaneously. In one of my flips, I caught sight of another falling stone. I caught that stone with my levitation spell and used that to launch myself back into a controlled flight pattern.

The shadow of the city grew bigger and Applejack's body grew smaller. I knew she was about to hit, so I dove. I flew as fast as I could, as hard as I could. She was not dying on my watch! I kept my focus despite my fear of heights and falling and discovered I was gaining ground. I desperately tried to catch up to her, fighting the very air I breathed to catch her before she hit. It didn't look like she had long to go now.

So I pushed harder. Slowly the force of the air began to crack. I wasn't going to make it. Wasn't going to make it… she was going to…

BANG! The air itself broke around me. I began plummeting to the earth at a rate of speed I had no idea existed. Within seconds I had caught up to her and swept her out of the sky and away from danger. Canterlot collapsed to the valley floor mere seconds later, the edge of the city brushing my tail, as we joined our friends on the ridge where it once stood. I landed, collapsing to my side as the adrenaline left me and the exhaustion hit.

"Th-thanks…" Applejack stammered, blushing redder than anyone had seen her blush ever.

Between heaves, I managed to spit, "No problem."

"No…" Rarity said, astonished at the ruins and all the innocent blood below. "No!"

Twilight was screaming over the edge of the cliff, "Celestia! Princess Celestia! Oh, God, No!"

"It's okay Twilight, I'm okay," a heavenly voice said from behind us.

"Princess!" Twilight screamed. "It's horrible… Horrible!"

Celestia looked over at me. "Are you okay?"

My heart was racing and my back was sore. I had never been drained of so much energy in my life. Whatever I did, I could now barely move.

My voice was hoarse. "I can barely move…"

"A sonic rainboom on your second flight…" Rainbow Dash said. "That would blow your energy, for sure."

"I don't think I'll be able to do that again," I said, chuckling through (or maybe because of?) the pain. "Not for a while, anyway. That felt like a one-shot deal."

I lay my head down on the ground and coughed.

"Zytharros!" Applejack shrieked, rushing to my side.

It seemed like everyone except Applejack was looking over the edge of the cliff, weeping for their fallen capital. Even the unshakeable Princess Celestia looked lost.

Then, slowly everything went dark. The last thing I heard was Applejack's voice calling for her friends in the background.


	6. Day 9

_Day 9_

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

I woke up to the sound of a heart monitor. I was on a soft bed. The air smelt of sterility and medicine – a hospital, I deduced. I was in a hospital.

"How long have I been out?" I asked to nopony in particular.

That same familiar voice with the Missourian accent spoke, "Four days. Four blasted days…"

"A.J." I said.

Suddenly, her face appeared above mine. "I'm here…"

She did not look that healthy. Her frame had lost a couple dozen kilos, her eyes had bags underneath them, her mane was an uncontrolled mess, and she smelt like a rotten apple pie.

I was aghast. "Have you eaten anything in that time! Showered? Helped on the farm? Anything!"

"Not with you in a coma, I was so worried," she said. "We all were… Oh, I'm so happy you're alive!"

She nuzzled up to me, tears of joy streaming down the side of her face. I tried rolling on my back, but the pain was so severe I couldn't. I returned to laying on my right side. It hurt to breathe.

"Your back's pretty banged up," Applejack informed. "You have one heck of a bruise and a couple broken ribs on your left side."

I shot up in bed, "Omigosh… We forgot Pinkie Pie!" I exclaimed before collapsing back in bed in pain. I wasn't going to move very far very fast.

Applejack calmed my fears. "No worries. She had left for Ponyville on the train before Canterlot fell. She was halfway home to find Fluttershy when Rainbow Dash woke you up."

"How's everypony coping?" I asked.

"Fluttershy's not comin' out of her house. She's frightened worse than I ever did see," Applejack said. "Twilight's been hittin' the books harder than ever now, tryin' to find us a way to protect ourselves from another attack. Rarity's locked herself in her house. I'm guessin' she's tryin' to forget what happened by workin'. Pinkie Pie's been workin' at the sweet shop. She hasn't held a party since. Celestia's been busy flyin' all over, settlin' all the chaos around Equestria caused by the fall of Canterlot. As for Rainbow Dash… she's been training her body rigorously."

A raspy voice next to me said, "Yeah, and I kinda overdid it myself two days ago."

"Rainbow! You're here, too? I'm sorry… I can't flip over," I said.

Her voice dropped. "You… wouldn't want to see me, anyway."

"She's in a body cast," Applejack said. "Flew hard into a mountain."

"Aww, geez, A.J.…" Rainbow whined. "Why'd you have to go tell him?"

"I would rather know if a friend was hurting than for the friend to just sluff me off and act like everything was okay, Rainbow," I informed. "Otherwise, that's dishonest – _and disloyal_."

Rainbow Dash, the avatar of the Element of Loyalty, fell silent at the last two words.

"Sorry, Dash," I said. "I had to."

"That's okay…" Dash replied, obviously still a little hurt that I had mentioned loyalty like I did.

I looked back at Applejack. "You were saying the Princess is flying around trying to calm the chaos. How's Equestria as a whole?"

"I don't rightly know, Zytharros, but I imagine it ain't in the best of shape."

"Everypony flocked to the crash site," Rainbow piped up again. "Celestia's been working on investigating the crater that appeared where Canterlot was. The entire country's been helping rebuild the castle, investigating the site, helping the Princess settle into her new, temporary home here in Ponyville… It's been amazing to watch all Equestria come together for our Princess."

"I-I'm gonna go get everyone else," Applejack said. "They'll be glad to know you're alright."

As she bolted out of the room, I shouted after her, "Get something to eat, too, you scrawny buckaroo!"

A laugh came back to me from the hall. I smiled and relaxed back on the bed, happy to hear that hearty, full-bodied laugh again. It allowed me to release some tension.

"A couple broken ribs…" I said, remembering the brush my tail had with the wall of an entire city. "It could've been a lot worse…"

"You narrowly escaped that city," Rainbow said. "I was on my way down to help, but I couldn't get there in time… I'm just glad you made it."

I nodded, looking back at my tail. "A hair later – literally – and we both would have been goners."

I suddenly flinched, shuddered and moaned, seeing Applejack's flattened, dead body on the ground flash before my eyes. I quickly focussed on an imaginary flotilla of butterflies gliding across the air over a pristine lake, trying to settle my mind. This was going to take a while to get over.

A couple hours later, after the doctor came to check on Rainbow Dash and I, Applejack returned with every pony she could gather – Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Apple Bloom. Scootaloo, a brown pony with a deep purple mane and Sweetie Belle, a white pony with a light purple mane and pink highlights, also came to see me. Applejack informed me that Fluttershy was still barricaded in her house and wouldn't come out for anyone.

"This is the stallion that saved Applejack?" Scootaloo asked.

I nodded. "Zytharros," I said.

"I'm Scootaloo. This is Sweetie Belle," the young filly said, indicating herself and her friend. "We're friends of Apple Bloom. She told us you were special, but we couldn't get her to say why."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you," I greeted. "And… that's… my secret. I made Apple Bloom promise not to tell."

"Well, that's not very fun…" Scootaloo said, just before darting off when she spotted Rainbow Dash.

Apple Bloom approached me coyly… "As thanks for savin' my sister, I want you to have this…"

She han-er, hoofed me a card. I opened it, and out fell several gems, a bunch of bits, and the image of a happy Applejack and Apple Bloom.

"The entire Apple family thanks you," Applejack said gratefully. "So does all of Ponyville."

I blushed. "…Thanks…"

"The mayor wants you to see her when you get better," Applejack stated, "somethin' about you gettin' a house of your own, custom-built to what you want and paid for by the citizens of Ponyville."

"I don't know what to say…" I said, shocked and touched. "I'm truly grateful."

I yawned. "My first task when I get out of here is talk to Fluttershy, though… I don't want her hiding for long."

"I guess we should let you nap," Twilight said, a concerned smile in her eyes. "Want anything?"

I thought for a moment. "Bring a couple Daring Do books, one for me and Dash."

"How can I hold it?" Rainbow asked. "I can barely move…"

"We'll take turns. I'll read a chapter, then use my magic to hover it over to you and flip pages."

Rainbow smiled a wide-eyed smile. "That's right! We could!"

Twilight chuckled. "Okay, kids… let's go," she said.

There were various moans and groans as the three little fillies were ushered out the door. Applejack and Rarity stayed behind for a little bit.

"I wanted to thank you two, personally…" Rarity said. "I did not feel right just sending a… a _paltry card_… with Apple Bloom. Without you two, Spike, Twilight, Applejack and I would be dead."

"How are you?" I asked Rarity.

She shook a little. "I'm… still a little shaken, but slowly getting over the shock."

"This isn't going to be something we forget any time soon," I acknowledged again. "We're going to have to help each other clear the hurdles of fear."

"We will, and we will." Rarity said. "We will get over this together."

"What've you been working so hard on over the past couple days, Rarity?" I asked.

As she walked out the door, she flicked her tail and looked back with a look I had to admit was sexy. She smiled that sultry smile of hers and replied, "It's a surprise."

I lay back in bed.

"Good night, Zy," from Applejack. She placed a kiss on my forehead and left. I had a long recovery ahead of me, and I needed to make sure it was the best it could be just in case Tangerine Hopes made another appearance. Just before I drifted off, I asked Rainbow Dash…

"Has Tangerine reappeared yet?"

Dash's reply allowed me to relax more. "No, she hasn't, and I'm grateful."

"Thank you." With that, I let myself drift off into dreamland.


	7. Day 17

_Day 17_

"Well, Zytharros, you have surprised me. You've recovered enough to be discharged," the doctor said. "Your energy should be fully restored, and your rib's repaired itself quite nicely. I want you back in here every few weeks for checks. Another six seconds and you would have died mid-flight."

When I stepped out of the hospital, everyone there gave a rousing applauding cheer. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow (who had fully recovered from her own accident three days ago), Rarity, and Pinkie all celebrated my long recovery. Over my time in the hospital, Rainbow and I passed the time in various ways… counting our feathers, drawing, and coming up with new beats were just a few ways we passed the time. We also received news of happenings around Equestria from several different sources, Pinkie Pie being the chief bringer of news. We still weren't completely back to where we were, and Canterlot's absence from the Ponyville vista reminded us of what happened every day, but we had made some significant progress.

The rest of Equestria had recovered a bit, though a sombre mood still pervaded the country's atmosphere. Slowly, life was returning to normal. The site at Canterlot, now referred to as "Old Canterlot" was designated an "Equestria Heritage Site", and construction on New Canterlot had begun in place of the old city. The official explanation for the fall was "improper maintenance of the holding cables", and by all accounts that's what happened. The cables were snapped in roughly the right way, and the mountain broke off naturally when the weight of the city became too much for its' lower foundations. However, I along with my crew knew Celestia would not have consciously overlooked that detail.

Pinkie Pie was intent on booking a party for that night, but I asked her if we could postpone it for a little bit. I didn't feel like partying. In fact, I didn't want to party if Fluttershy wasn't there.

"We've been trying to get her out of her house since Canterlot fell, but we haven't been able to," Rainbow Dash said. "She won't even respond. We've taken to leaving food and water outside her door three times a day and we pick an empty plate up three times a day so she's still eating."

"That's awful…" I said. I galloped off to her house. "Someone show me where it is!"

Applejack began running with me, "It's over here. Follow me!"

All I could think of was that pink mane. She had helped me walk through my emotional stresses. Now it was my turn.

"Jack, can I count on you to help?" I asked.

A.J. sighed. "I've just about had it with her, but I'll try again, for her sake."

"Thank you," I said.

We arrived at Fluttershy's house. The front yard was nowhere near as maintained as it should have been. When we finally reached the front door after fighting tangle weeds, joke flowers, and blackberries, and after the first knock, the house remained dark and silent.

"Fluttershy, are you okay?" I asked, knocking again.

"Is… is tha-that you… Z-Z-Zyth…" a weak voice spat out between sobs.

I replied, "Yes, it's me… Can I see you?"

"Alone," she demanded. "Just you. Nopony else."

I threw an apologetic look to Applejack. She groaned in frustration and walked away.

"Okay, I'm alone…" I said.

Fluttershy opened the upper part of the door open a hair, then quickly grabbed my forelegs, threw me in the house and shut the door. I crashed hard into her dining room table, but she didn't care. She threw herself on me and bawled.

"I'm s-s-sorr… I-I mean… I ju-ju-just-t-aAHAAAaawwwww…" she bellowed in tears. "I hurt everyone! I caused Canterlot's fall! I… I… I don't understaaaa-haa-haaaandddd…!"

She slammed her head into my chest and bawled some more.

"I thought I lost you… I didn't want to be blamed for that, too… I just can't… no… Canterlot… No! I should've stayed… I… I-I-I-…"

I wrapped my arms around her and allowed her complete bawling freedom, despite my twice-aching back. I stroked her mane, and she steadily began to relax. Several minutes of this had her relaxed to a whimper from creating a river of tears.

"I'm so s-s-scared…" she said. "Nothing like th-that's ev-ev-ever h-happened t-to me befo-fo-fore…"

"It's okay," I said, refusing to let the pain of my damaged back show through. "It's okay…"

"But I did it… I-I-"

"No, you didn't. You were here in Ponyville," I said. "Canterlot fell after you left."

"But I could've stayed to help evacuate-"

"By the time I woke up, the city was already falling off the mountain. It was all we could do to get Rarity, Spike and Applejack out of the city, never mind everyone else."

"You sure I didn't-?"

"No."

Fluttershy's lower lip quivered again. "Okay…" She buried her face in my chest again. "It's still s-so sad…"

"There was nothing you could do that we didn't already do," I reassured.

Fluttershy cried again for another three or four minutes before she finally sat up and wiped her face with a foreleg.

"You feeling a little better?" I asked.

She smiled. "Thanks, Zytharros," she said. "I guess I just needed to let someone in. I've spent so long alone that I… I just… didn't know who to let in."

"You can write that to Princess Celestia in a friendship letter," I said, winking.

"I guess," Fluttershy chuckled. "It's nice to know our group didn't lose anyone, and that the Princess is okay." It was then she noticed a wince in my eye, and gasped. "Oh, no, I'm sorry! I completely forgot! Here, let me see if that rib's broken again…"

I smiled. "It's not. You landed on my other side."

"Oh, that's good. The last thing I want to do is damage you… or anyone else…" she said.

I continued smiling, standing up. "You ready to come out of your turtle shell?"

She nodded. "I need a spa run."

Fluttershy and I left her domicile and began walking to town. Applejack suddenly began trotting beside us. We laughed and talked, and Fluttershy apologized for the way she disappeared. We all appeared in town, and everything was right in the world.

Well, except for the absence of the city of Canterlot, but the citizenry of Equestria was slowly working on that.

For now, I decided to go to the spa with Fluttershy for a soak 'n shave, then talk to Pinkie Pie about arranging that party, a "survival party" of sorts. Applejack had an appointment at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie to help her bake, so she moved on.

Fluttershy and I settled down in the hot tub at the spa.

"So, what made you open up to me today?" I asked.

Fluttershy blushed. "Well, I guess it's because you're just so kind. You're so gentle, especially for your size."

"I've been called a teddy bear on more than one occasion," I said.

She smiled. "Not many people actually listen to me cry… usually they walk away or leave me alone. You stayed. That was very nice of you."

I felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. "The thing that means the most to me is seeing my friends happy. When I don't, especially if they cry, something inside me aches. I don't like just letting tears slide."

"That's wonderful," Fluttershy said.

I sunk my head underneath the hot tub, then emerged snout-up. This allowed my mane to slick back into a waterlogged, streamlined mane-style of smoothness.

"I'm going to get my hooves done now," I said, exiting the hot tub. Fluttershy followed.

"Twilight tells me you're a great writer," Fluttershy said.

I blushed. "Well, I wouldn't call myself 'great'… maybe 'good', but not 'great'. I've been practicing for years, and always feel I could learn more. There's so much I have to learn about language and story structure still… It's my lifelong passion, and one I always hope to get better doing."

"Could I see some of it?" she asked. "Not now, of course, but maybe later…?"

I shied away, but reluctantly said, "Sure… Just… not as I'm writing. I'll show you the finished product of what I'm working on later. Feel free to give me some polite critiquing as well."

"Okay," Fluttershy agreed.

The attendant at the spa asked what I wanted. I basically told her a neatening trim, maybe a little shave-down was all I needed, enough to get rid of the excess and round off the edges with a small bevel. Fluttershy got her usual massage.

"I must admit, this is a very interesting experience," I said.

Fluttershy commented, "You've never been in a spa before?"

"Nope," I said. "Not once."

"How did you relax on Ear-… uh, in Appleford?" Fluttershy asked, coughing. "Sorry…"

I shrugged an okay. "Writing… swimming… snacking… games… running… those kinds of things. Sometimes even a day relaxing in the sun relaxes me."

The spa worker switched to another hoof.

"Hey, where's Rarity? She usually joins you at this time, doesn't she?" I asked.

"She's busy filling orders. I hear she's making something special for us," Fluttershy replied. "She's rarely popped out for food recently, only coming out to eat and go to the spa when she's gone to see you in the hospital."

"Why would she rarely pop out for food? She's got a fashionable figure to keep, doesn't she?" I asked again, a little confused.

"She eats like a bird anyway," Fluttershy said. "_I_ eat more than her."

We spent the last few minutes in the spa talking about animals. I explained I had a couple cats of my own and also took care of creatures called 'llamas'. After Fluttershy's blank stare, I explained they were animals that looked a little like long-haired camels – four-legged, long-necked, funny-faced ponies. She still stared at me blankly, so I did what I did for her that first night we talked – I generated an image for her from my memory and projected an image onto the floor. The spa workers were a little startled by the sudden projection on the ground, but quickly returned to working as it, and my glowing horn, faded to normal.

"They look… interesting…" Fluttershy said, trying to be polite.

I looked at her and responded flatly, "You don't care for them."

She looked at me as if I was going to beat her. I just chuckled. "They're not the cutest creatures in the world, that's for sure. They're also incredibly temperamental at times. Their fibre, however, makes for some absolutely amazing and warm clothing. It's so smooth compared to cotton and wool."

"Really?" she asked.

I nodded. "My wife does some work with the fibre. It's one of my favourite materials."

Our appointment finished. We paid our bits and left. I said my farewells to Fluttershy as she walked off to destinations unknown, and proceeded myself to Sugarcube Corner. I had a feeling I was going to just buy something and leave, talking to Pinkie Pie about the party in the morning.

As I arrived, I heard some voices around the corner. One mentioned my name. I darted to the back of a nearby house and got as close as I could.

"-I just don't know what to say…" It was Applejack. She was on a break.

"Just tell him how you feel," Pinkie's high voice encouraged. "The worst he can say is no… Well, the worst he can say is actually 'you're a dishonest pile of manure in a cold, wet-"

"I-I get it, Pinkie," Applejack said. "Zytharros is so nice to everyone he meets, and he's been away from his wife for so long… he must be needin' a companion or somethin'… ugh, horse apples… if he weren't already married, I'd let him _take_ me…"

I felt sad. _Here I am, a married man trying to be a rock for these girls, and now one's got a crush on me and she knows she can't ever have me._ I sat on the ground. _What a bummer for her…_

"Not only that, but it would break his loyalty to his wife," Applejack said, groaning, "That means I would be dishonest with myself, and I would be making him be dishonest… but I want him with me all the time…" She groaned again and placed her head on the ground and her hooves on her head. "By Celestia's wings, I'm so confused, I can't think straight!"

Pinkie smiled. "If you explained yourself to him, he would probably understand," she said brightly. "He's listened to you, Fluttershy and Twilight already. Hay, he even held Rainbow Dash in one of her least cool moments of her life. That's not something I hear Rainbow doing very often."

"That's true… he is very honest," Applejack acknowledged, "very trustworthy… and a hard worker, to boot… If only he wasn't married…" she stomped in frustration.

"Let's get back to work," Pinkie said.

I decided that was enough eavesdropping. I had to let Applejack work through this herself, so I walked away. I still had to talk to Pinkie about the party. I hung around the fruit and vegetable stands, buying a peach here, a few stocks of asparagus there, and a few plums over there until Applejack left. She didn't notice me as I purchased some more food before popping into Sugarcube Corner, which I had hit at a slow time, so there was no lineup.

"Oh! Hi, Zytharros!" Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically. "What can I get you?"

"I was just wondering when we could have that party you were thinking about earlier?" I asked.

She brightened up. "Well, I'm a little busy today… we have a big order to fill before closing for the Princess' arrival bash from Clopcago, the end of her royal Equestrian tour. I'm free to plan parties tomorrow, though."

I smiled. "Then make it happen."

Pinkie's eyes brightened up. "I can do that!"

I left Sugarcube Corner smiling, and with a chocolate cupcake of my own. I tossed it back and caught it in my mouth, humming Pinkie's "Smile" as I strutted down the street. I flapped and carried myself into the sky. Despite the news of Applejack's crush and the heartbreak I felt of not being able to do a thing about it, I was in too much of a good mood to let that spoil the atmosphere. Tangerine hadn't shown herself in days, and I was just beginning to get comfortable with the idea that it was a one-shot deal.

I decided to set myself down on a cloud to see how it was. As I ascended, I felt little pain. My back was healing quite well.

Soon I noted a draft above me. I looked up. Rainbow Dash waved and dove around to fly with me.

"Where are you headed?" she asked.

I looked around. "Dunno. I don't have anything today, and I've got some cash I can live off of for a while thanks to Ponyville, so I was wondering what else to do."

"Well, I could take you to Cloudsdale and show you around," she suggested.

I smiled. "Not a bad idea. Actually, I want to try rainbow for myself."

"Are you serious? Pinkie nearly fried her mouth off eating one, though!" Rainbow cautioned. "They're not known for their flavour…"

"I'm challenging that notion – I bet they'd make a good hot sauce," I said. "It might be something for the weather factory to branch off into."

She looked at me funny. "You're crazy."

I laughed. "I love it when people call me that!"

All Rainbow did was groan and shrug.

Soon we arrived at Cloudsdale. We landed on the city's cloud-streets. I was astonished – they felt firm, but not hard, soft, but not something that would sink under my feet, and surprisingly stable.

"The clouds where I'm from can't support a pony of any stripe," I said. "They're just vapour."

"So are these," Rainbow said as we continued walking through the city. "The difference is you're a pegasus now. You can probably shape these to your bidding."

I popped a plum in my mouth as we walked and took in the scenery. It was amazing. The city was large – so huge it spanned several hundred different clouds. Each building and structure looked influenced by Earth-based Greek architecture, and every last one was assembled of various compactions and densities of clouds. The creativity of these pegasi with a singular material was astonishing. I spat out the plum pit over the edge of Cloudsdale.

It wasn't long before we arrived at a solitary building that looked like it had every last ounce of weather the world could throw at it attacking it all at once. Rainbow showed me around, like she had shown her friends. I dipped the tip of a hoof in the rainbow and licked it, making sure it got all over my tongue. It was indeed spicy, but there was a subtle sweetness to it I fell in love with.

"Yep. Definite hot sauce material," I said, confirming my much earlier speculation after watching Pinkie Pie eat a rainbow on the show.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed in disbelief.

"Where's the manger? I've gotta inform him of this," I asked one of the staff members.

"What?" Dash shrieked, puffing her feathers and fur up all over her body in surprise. "You're actually going through with this!"

"Why not?" I asked. "It'd make more money for Cloudsdale."

Flustered, the rainbow-plumed pony just stepped around randomly, mind obviously blown. She couldn't fight my logic, yet she had never in her life heard of a pony that liked rainbows _to eat_.

After a quick question and a little waiting, I was greeted by the manager of the whole facility.

"So, you say you have a new rainbow product you think would catch on," he said, skeptical.

I nodded. "Hot sauce."

The manager looked at me quizzically. "What?"

"Hot sauce," I repeated. "I'd like to try using rainbows as hot sauce. Let me have a small bottle and I'll take it down to ground-level Equestria. I'll put some in my cooking and see how ponies react. I'll come back up to present my findings, and if it catches on…"

"Wait, you tried to _eat_ a rainbow?" the manager asked.

I nodded. "In small amounts, it's really tasty and can add flavour to foods nicely."

"…You're mad, aren't you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Crazy, maybe, but mad? Not on your life. Just let me try it… please?"

The manager hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we can let you have it… But just a little."

"I'll be back with a bottle," I said. "Rainbow, can you help me make one?"

"Bu-wha-hu-th-pththth… I'm no potter!" Rainbow exclaimed, still shocked I still managed to convince the foreman to participate in my scheme. It made me chuckle. "You… oh, whatever… I'll help…" she said begrudgingly.

We flew out of the factory to the nearest cloud, with which we assembled a small pot. It took us a good portion of the day in trial and error, but we eventually succeeded. I gently scooped up a potful of rainbow and capped the top.

"This'll do 'til we get down to Ponyville," I said.

Rainbow groaned. "You're almost as annoying as Pinkie Pie when you get going."

I smiled. "I'm just getting started… wait 'til I start cracking jokes."

I flew off with the pot. Rainbow chased after me, still dumbfounded that this whole ordeal wasn't just a massive joke.

Minutes later, we burst through Twilight's door.

"I have a new ingredient!" I said, showing off my cloud bottle.

Twilight looked up from her book. "Oh?" she asked.

"I'm going to cook with rainbows!" I said, trotting to the kitchen.

Twilight collapsed to the floor, laughing. When she saw Rainbow Dash's stunned look, she became just as stunned. Nopony had _ever, in the history of the entire planet,_ tried cooking with a rainbow!

"D-do you know anything of rainbows? Any of their chemical composition… their ingredients… _anything_?" she demanded, sputtering. "Do you know what they c-can do?"

"Just entertain me for a second," I said, and smiled as I began preparing a vegetable-and-egg stir fry dish. "I'm creating!"

Twilight and Rainbow both sighed. I imagined them looking at each other with annoyed stares.

"Well, I am hungry…" Twilight said.

Rainbow groaned again. "I guess I'll have some…"

"Cool!" I chirped.

Rainbow and Twilight started a conversation while I was creating. I began with the asparagus I had just bought, chopping it into small logs. I added carrots, celery, broccoli, and raisins. I chopped some water chestnuts into the mix, peppered it with cinnamon and garlic, then added the tiniest drop of rainbow. The pan burst into flame, but only for a brief second, before it began to cook. I flipped it around a couple times, trying various vegetables in the stir-fry out to inspect their flavour, then turned the stove on low, added a little bit more rainbow and let it cook the rest of the way, testing a vegetable here and there to make sure the taste was perfect.

Rainbow sniffed the air. "You know, that's beginning to smell really good," she said.

"Garlic… with some cinnamon and a hint of…" Twilight sniffed... "spicy… that's quite a balance you've struck there."

I nodded. "Don't want to overload you with how much spice I like now, do I?"

From the looks on their faces, Rainbow and Twilight were both afraid to ask.

Minutes later, the dish was served. The vegetables had an interesting translucent, rainbow glow, but it only enhanced their appeal. The unique blend of spices created a smell that surprised the pair awaiting their first taste of rainbow. Twilight and Rainbow waited as I took the first bite.

"Maybe I put the garlic on too thick…" I thought as I continued to eat.

Twilight decided to take the first bite. Rainbow and I waited for her to finish. She thought about it, rolled it over in her mouth, then swallowed, eyes closed, body language emotionless. She was so serious about it I had to stop myself from chuckling. Eventually however, her eyes opened.

"So?" I asked, waiting intently.

Twilight looked down at her dish. "That…"

I anxiously waited for her to continue, but she let that one word hang there for a very long time.

Finally, she dropped her opinion.

"That… was amazing!" she declared. "I'm positively shocked!" She continued eating.

Rainbow took a bite. "Hey, yeah! This is really good!"

I smiled. "I'm glad you approve."

We finished dinner and speculated for a while about the different flavours rainbows would give to different foods. However, it had turned dark by that time, so Rainbow departed, disappearing into the night sky. She promised she would help me give my report to the foreman at the weather factory if the rest of the ponies liked rainbow cooking.

Eventually, Twilight and I settled down and passed out ourselves.

I didn't get to sleep long, though.

I woke up to a cold room. Ice-cold. There, in the blackness, a silhouette of a pony appeared.

"Who the heck are you, and how did you get in here?" I demanded.

The voice that replied was icy, colder than any winter day in Saskatchewan.

"You know exactly how I get around," she said.

A few hoof clops. She had moved closer.

"I am going to destroy you," she said. "I will break your mind. Little by little, I will wear it down until there is nothing left."

I tried a diplomatic approach. "Tangerine, we don't have to be enemies. I can help you."

"I'm done with that… _pathetic excuse for a name_…" she seethed angrily. "If you're going to call me out, call me out right… okay, Zytharros?"

I didn't care to know how she had gotten my name.

"What should we be calling you, then?" I asked.

Hoof clops again, this time going away. "Call me… Crystal Fist."

The room warmed up as she disappeared from the space. I was deathly wrong – we were not safe anywhere. I had underestimated her power if she could get to me so easily.

I stayed up for a while thinking about my contact with Tangerine Hopes. She quite obviously wasn't out to kill us. She would have done it by now. That puzzled me all the more – what did she want? Thinking back, I had caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes back at the castle as well. They were psychotic, but unimaginably sad and scared, almost as if…

Almost as if… she was…

Trapped…


	8. Day 18

_Day 18_

I had just finished my morning workout in the sunlight when Applejack approached me.

"Listen, uh, Zytharros…" she said nervously. "Could… uh… could you come and help me with a few things?"

"Sure," I said, smiling.

We walked to Sweet Apple Acres in silence. I knew what it was about, but again I didn't want to push. After all, she didn't know I already knew.

I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, taking in the sound of the birds and the rustling of the trees. The running of the leaves was scheduled to start soon, according to Twilight, so the trees and animals could be prepared for winter.

"You excited for the running of the leaves this year?" I asked.

Applejack had no reaction.

"A.J.?" I asked, looking at her, a little concerned.

"Wha…?" she said, snapping to attention. "You say somethin', Zytharros?"

"I asked if you were excited for the running of the leaves this year."

Applejack's eyes flashed surprise for a brief second. "Oh! Yeah, uh, I… I can't wait."

"You seem distracted," I observed.

After a couple seconds of silence, she swallowed, then sighed. "Look, I gotta be honest… I'm crushin' bad on you," she admitted. "You're perfect for me – down-to-earth, honest, downright funny, and a hard worker – but there's one mighty big problem… you're taken!"

"I've had those feelings…" I said, sulking. "It's always painful when you can't do anything about it."

It wasn't the response she wanted to hear, but Applejack understood the truth behind the statement. She was a little surprised by my action during the statement, though.

"It musta been a bad crush," she said.

"A total of four years of longing and dragging my heart in circles, waiting for a relationship that never materialized," I said. "We even lost a common friend together, but even with that opportunity I never actively tried for her. I actually only stopped crushing on her when I got engaged."

Applejack sighed. "So… There's… no way I can…" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

It broke my heart, but I knew the right answer. I shook my head. "No. Out of choice, I'm a one-mare stallion – and that's a decision I don't take lightly, either."

She just about broke, but she gave me a sad smile. "At least I know for sure. Still friends?"

I gave her a kind, sympathetic smile and a hug in return. "Absolutely. If you need anything, just call on me."

"So… what should we do now?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I could always use another sister," I suggested.

"O-okay…" Applejack bit her lip. I saw in her eyes she still wanted more, but being a surrogate sister seemed a good consolation prize. The tears were still there, though she was fighting them off with every fibre of her being. Despite her best efforts, however, a sad sniffle escaped.

"I… I gotta go…" Applejack said before bolting off home, soft sobs coming from the workhorse.

I let her go on alone. She needed time to get over this hole I had just stabbed in her heart. With her confronting me like that, however, I could be assured that none of the other girls would be after me now. Applejack would let them know where I stood, and I was sure they wouldn't try anything. I turned around and walked back to Ponyville.

I walked back to Twilight's library, but was stopped short when Rainbow Dash flashed in front of me. Her face was tied up in a look of pure rage.

"Okay, mister, what did you do to Applejack!" she demanded. "I saw you two walking together, then she goes running off, crying! What did you say! ANSWER ME! If you don't, I'll pound your face in!"

I just dropped down and glared at her. "That's between me and her. It concerns her heart, and for the sake of Applejack's honour, I will not be divulging the information to anyone." I leaned in and touched noses with Rainbow. "Let her tell you when she's ready."

Rainbow Dash attempted to stare me down, but her demeanor quickly dropped off as I lay, stone-statue-still, staring at her with a level of intensity she had truly come to fear – the same intensity with which I had subdued Twilight. I saw a realization in her eyes that told me she understood why Celestia said I was going to be a rock for the group – I was _not_ about to back down from _anything_ anyone tried to force of me.

"A-alright…" Rainbow stuttered, shying back. She chuckled nervously. "N-no sense in knocking heads over something like th-that, right?"

I gave a pleasant smile. "Thank you."

As I passed Rainbow, I heard her sigh. "That was intense…" she mumbled. I heard her take off as I continued walking to Twilight's. Within a couple steps, I froze. Without any reason, I suddenly decided to head for the Carousel Boutique. I turned tail on a dime, pivoting on two of my hooves, and set course. I felt an urge to talk to Rarity.

A few minutes later, I got there, and entered. Standing on a pedestal on one side of the room was Derpy Hooves, getting fitted for a smashing new outfit. I smiled.

"Looking gorgeous, Derpster!" I said, winking and smiling.

She smiled back. "I'm glad to see you're out of the hospital," she said.

I chuckled. "I am, too. It was getting kinda stuffy in there."

"Okay, Derpy, I picked out some fabulous gems I believe would look absolutely ravishing on that gown! Here's a few sapphires of different shades of green, and some rubies…"

The pony brightened up and began examining different gems Rarity handed to her.

"Oh, hi, Zytharros!" Rarity said as Derpy examined the gems. "What can I do for you?"

I looked around. "Nothing much, just came to drop by. How's business?"

"Oh, the usual," she said. "Dressmaking is an all-consuming passion."

I looked at her latest design, and asked her about it.

"Oh, that… I'm considering throwing that one away," she said. "I just can't get the look right."

Absentmindedly, she turned her attention back to Derpy. I pulled out a quill and followed the lines of the drawing carefully until I'd passed over the whole picture.

"You're right – there's something missing here…" I mumbled, holding the feather of the quill up to my lips.

I made a couple quick notations on a nearby piece of paper, did a very rough sketch of the dress (I neither had the necessary patience nor time to draw the whole thing) and played around with different additions and subtractions. Finally, I added five quick lines to the master sketch – two large and three small.

"Rarity!" I called.

Derpy emerged from the change room and left the store, giving me a hoof-bump on the way out. She and I discussed coffee later, agreeing to meet tomorrow on Derpy's lunch break.

"I'm coming!" Rarity called. "I'm just tidying up!"

A couple minutes later, she saw my variation on her sketch. Her eyes glowed.

"How did you DO that?" she exclaimed. "It's perfect! What did you do?"

I shrugged. "I thought it looked… a little plain and tacky, so I added another fold here (I pointed to the top of the mare's back) and a tuck here (this time, towards the rump), and finally added a couple minor details towards the neck. A couple simple little lines."

"It's divine!" she exclaimed. "You said you couldn't sew, but your design work is superb!"

I chuckled. "It's a modification. I couldn't design a dress from scratch if my life depended on it."

We chuckled.

"This is Applejack's dress?" I asked.

Rarity realized she had just unwittingly blown a part of her surprise. On the top of the page, she had scribed 'Applejack - Dress Design Number 13'. Her eyes blasting all over the place gave that fact away. "Um… actually… uh… they're for…"

When she saw the skeptical look I was giving her, she coughed. "Just… don't… tell anyone… okay?" I swore I heard a strange horn sound accompany the smile she gave me.

I nodded, secretly guessing she had made outfits for all of us to wear to this year's Grand Galloping Gala, scheduled towards the middle of fall and to be hosted by Ponyville. Twilight had acquired eight tickets from the Princess for us. They had arrived earlier today on our front step. Connecting the dots, I smiled, trying to let a little bit of my knowledge through in the smile. I succeeded.

"…You know," she said flatly.

I nodded. "But I only know what one outfit looks like. I'll still be surprised by the rest of them."

As I was walking out the door, Rarity sighed. I poked my head back in.

"How'd you get my measurements, anyway?" I asked with a chuckle.

Rarity froze. "I might have… taken the liberty of… taking them… w-while you were unconscious… or not… um…" I had completely flustered her.

She quickly went back to sewing, her nervous chuckling confirming what I had suspected. She was making me a suit, too.

"I can't wait to see how it turns out," I said, winking.

Rarity groaned. "Oh, horse feathers… you know about that, too…"

That immediately explained her flirtatious answer to my question in the hospital – and confirmed my suspicions – beyond a shadow of a doubt, and I made sure to let her know…

"I didn't. You just confirmed it." I smiled.

Rarity was dumbfounded that she had just been completely outplayed.

I left the Carousel Boutique with a wide grin on my face, chuckling. Nopony was getting that secret out of me, not until Rarity called us all in for fittings. On my way back to the library, I met up with Pinkie Pie. I bought a bunch of fruit.

"How's it goin', Zytharros?" she said in her always-cheerful mannerism. "Anything interesting?"

I smiled. "None I can tell you… it's between me and Applejack, and me and Rarity. Since Rarity's is a surprise, I don't know much about it, and Applejack's trusted me with something very confidential."

"Oh! So she DID tell you!" Pinkie Pie said. "She was talking about it yesterday."

"Applejack?" I asked.

Pinkie smiled widely. "Yeah! She came to me for encouragement on talking to you. She made me Pinkie promise not to tell anyone, especially you, until she talked to you."

I sighed. "I have a bit of a confession to make, myself…"

"Oh?" Pinkie said. "What does Mister Zythie have to confessorize to?"

"I was walking by and I heard the whole thing," I admitted.

"So she told you without telling you, then told you while telling you," she said, thinking. "That may be why my left ear twitched. I just thought I had a bug in it!" She burst out laughing. "Wow, Zythie! You're quite the sneaker!"

I shrugged. "I didn't really mean to walk by just as you two were on your break. It just kinda happened."

"Oh, that's okay," Pinkie said. "So what happened? Did you ask her out on a datesie?"

I shook my head. "I didn't, and I explained why. I'm a one-mare stallion, and that's not something I choose lightly."

"Aww… poor Applejackie was probably crushed…" Pinkie said, her face instantly shifting into a downcast state, her hair dropping its impossibly-crazy plumage. It switched just as fast back into a smile and a poof. "That's coolsies that you're so dedicated to your wife, though!"

"Are you off to Twilight's, too?" I asked Pinkie.

She nodded. "Yup! I have to get a cooking history book from the library. Doesn't sound like an interesting read to me, but the Cakes seem to like it. Whatever makes 'em happy!"

I chuckled.

We arrived at the library just as the sky became a brilliant orange and Twilight and Spike were returning from parts unknown with Fluttershy. Twilight seemed a little down.

"Twilight!" I called.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie echoed.

"Hold the door for us!" we said at the same time.

We got into the library. Twilight closed the door sullenly before slowly trudging her way up the steps. Fluttershy approached me and tapped one of my flanks.

"Zytharros, Pinkie Pie, I wouldn't talk to her right now," Fluttershy warned.

I looked at the downcast purple mare. "Why not?"

"She just got spooked by Tangerine Hopes," Fluttershy said. "As did I. She just appeared out of nowhere, bullying and berating Twilight. I did my best to stand up for her, but… Tangerine barely even blinked in my direction…"

I smiled at Fluttershy. "It's okay. You did what you could."

Pinkie Pie smiled. "What she needs is a good cheering up!"

Something was different. I watched my host crawl into bed and uneasily try to set herself to sleep.

"I don't think that's what she needs this time, Pinkie," I said, observing the restlessness in her movements. I brought Pinkie the book, checked it out in Twilight's ledger, and sent Pinkie and Fluttershy home, thanking them for their help today, suggesting we hold my got-better party the next day and apologizing for the short cancellation notice.

I approached her bed. "Twilight?" I asked.

She sighed. "I'm not feeling very good right now…"

"I know. I just wanted to know why," I said, concerned.

After a few seconds of silence, Twilight rolled over. "Tangerine appeared to me today, saying she was going to wreck everything we ever knew and claiming the destruction of Canterlot as proof. How much power do we have to fight her?"

I thought for a second. "Your friends are the Elements of Harmony. When the time comes, you'll find the strength to do what must be done. Until then, we have to feel her power out."

I lay down beside her bed. "What did she say?"

"She said I would never be able to conjure up the power needed to beat her. She demonstrated this by engaging me in actual combat, which I lost handily. I never expected to be… attacked…"

I noticed several bruises and singed hair at that time. Twilight was truly a wreck.

"Can I do anything to help with that pain?"

Twilight groaned. "It's not so much physical pain. That subsided several hours ago. It's the defeat that's stinging. I had hoped to put this threat to rest today, but with how quickly she overpowered me I… I don't know anymore…"

I said, "Need I remind you what the Princess said? We need all the Elements of Harmony to be gathered. We need all of us to fight her."

"She also told me to call her Crystal Fist," Twilight said.

I recounted to her the conversation I had from the pony the night before, where she said the same thing. Twilight was appalled.

"This place has a third-level magic barrier around it at night!" she exclaimed. "How in all Equestria did she get in?"

"I'm guessing dimensional travel is kind of like a back door, a loophole, to magic," I theorized. "Magic is temporal – a historical event that can be traced. Adding a dimensional element to it causes it to become disconnected from time and space… a fourth door through time to a three-dimensional space."

"She also said the one who had her heart broken…" Twilight said "…is where to look for her next."

I shot to my feet, a sudden realization crushing my heart. "Oh no… Applejack!" I shouted, bolting for the door.

Twilight kicked up dirt behind me. We left the door to the library wide open.

"Zytharros!" Twilight said, catching up to me. "Applejack's never been in love before! She can't possibly be the one!"

"This morning, I had a conversation with Applejack," I said, deep concern filling every word. "She admitted she had a crush on me, and I unfortunately had to break the news I couldn't help her because I was taken. She ran off in a tearful huff after that. She is, without a doubt, the heartbroken one Tangerine was referring to!"

Rainbow suddenly spoke. "What's the running for?"

"Applejack may be in trouble," I said. "Fly ahead and see if anything's going down at Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Why?" Rainbow asked, flying above our heads.

"I know I said I couldn't tell you, but this may be to save Applejack…"

I repeated what I had just told Twilight, and she informed Rainbow Dash what she had told me. Fully informed, Rainbow caught the worry bug as well. The moonlight eased no worries as we raced towards our friend in danger. Rainbow dashed ahead of us in mad fury, intent on defending her friend from the influence of Tangerine Hopes. I was fully in anticipation that we were too late.

We arrived at Sweet Apple Acres right on time to see Rainbow Dash fly past us, unconscious, and Applejack, eyes glowing red, staring me down in anger.

"Fudge muffins… We're too late," I said.

Applejack charged us. Twilight leapt in the way, and attempted to stop Applejack with her words, but she would not be denied her target. Twilight soon found herself upended and thrust into a pile of hay all the way into the barn. I deftly leapt out of the way, firing three quick magic bursts that connected with Applejack. She flopped over and rolled twice, but got back up again, setting herself up for another charge.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by magic. Twilight had emerged from the barn and attempted to control the enraged orange firecracker with her spells. It didn't work. Applejack quickly shattered her control and charged headlong for the studious librarian. Twilight turned tail and ran like the wind, screaming and hollering. I chased after them, firing magic blasts at Applejack and inadvertently destroying some of the crop before I got a good shot off.

What I didn't expect was Applejack to roll out of the way. The blast connected solidly with Twilight and sent her flying forward. I bit my lip and turned my attention to Applejack, who had righted herself and was now coming straight for me. She was too close for me to react, so she and I connected headlong, knocking each other back with equal force. I reeled and managed to save my balance. Applejack was knocked right over onto the earth. Just then Big Macintosh stepped in between me and his sister.

Bad move.

Applejack clocked his head, snapping his neck with one single well-placed kick and sending him crashing to the ground, dead. The gasps from the Apple family that had heard the ruckus was palpable.

"Big Mac!" Apple Bloom suddenly screeched.

Applejack froze in place. The sound of her sister's voice seemed to have an effect.

The little filly ran to her big brother, sobbing.

"Applejack! What have you done!" Apple Bloom shouted, bawling. "These are your friends! That was your brother! What's gotten into you?"

Applejack slowly awoke from her stupor. She collapsed to the ground.

Apple Bloom was the only one to show any emotion. The rest of the ponies around me stood and stared at the fallen figure of Big Macintosh. The little filly suddenly charged at her sister and began wailing on her. Applejack awoke to this, and quickly moved to subdue her smaller sibling.

"Apple Bloom, you little rascal!" she said. "What's your problem?"

"You just killed Big Mac!" she shrieked.

I saw Applejack's facial expression crash as she turned around.

"Oh my god…" she said, stunned. "I… I did this…?"

She saw me there and blew up in tears. "Please tell me I didn't do this… What happened? Tell me! Please…"

All I gave her was a stunned look. That's all she would see from anyone at the farm. Slowly her family began to walk away, one by one.

"Please, Apple Bloom…" Applejack begged. "Don't leave… You're my little sister…"

"Not anymore," Apple Bloom said, glaring coldly at her sister. "Go find somewhere else to live."

Granny Smith glared at her as well. "Murderers are not welcome in Sweet Apple Acres."

Those words stung her hard… She frantically looked around, panicking, as her entire family, except Twilight and I, turned their backs on us. Only Twilight and I truly knew what had happened, and nopony would listen to what we said.

Tangerine Hopes had claimed her next victim… and it was at our hands.

We somberly took the newly-homeless and visibly broken Applejack home with us, waking and informing Rainbow Dash of what had just transpired.

As we all went to bed, I once again couldn't sleep. I tried to telepathically aroused Princess Celestia.

_Princess_, I thought, casting a telepathy spell I had tried to learn earlier.

No response.

_Princess,_ I thought again.

A groggy voice came over my mind… _This better be good, Zytharros._

_Tangerine's struck again,_ I thought. _This time, she got Applejack to kill her brother._

The telepathy line fell silent.

_That's not going to sit well with the folks of Ponyville,_ Celestia warned. _I think it would be best if you took the Elements of Harmony and fled Equestria – tonight._

I stood up, groaning. "Well, this place was nice while it lasted…" _I… I'll deliver the news…_

So I aroused Twilight and Applejack, who in turn went and got Pinkie Pie and Rarity while I gathered Fluttershy. We told them what happened, and that we had been instructed to flee Ponyville. Rarity, of course, tried to pack all her things, but Applejack, through a cloud of tears, pressured her to leave with the bare essentials.

The Elements of Harmony then left their hometown with heavy hearts, quietly running from a problem none of them knew how to solve into an exile they knew would be terrifically disastrous for the country they had never set eyes outside of.

I swore I heard Tangerine Hopes' cruel, half-mad, half-sad laughter…

coupled with a surprising, "I'm sorry…" whisper.


	9. Day 19

_Day 19_

The next day was filled with a lot of walking, tears, and thinking. We were still shocked that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, which Equestria now so desperately needed, were now considered exiles.

Pinkie Pie's mane and tail were drooping. She had expected to hold a party, her first since Canterlot's collapse a fortnight earlier, but now not only was she unable to, she had to leave without getting a final smile from all her friends. The deflated party princess pouted despondently. She'd even forgotten her beloved party cannon!

Fluttershy and Rarity were weeping for their lost homeland, dabbing eyes with cloths. They were already missing their friends and their spa outings.

Twilight, Applejack and I were walking side-by-side, silently. A look of absolute shame had silenced the lowed workhorse, and nothing we did got her to speak. She was being even quieter than Fluttershy.

Spike had been left behind in Ponyville at Celestia's request when she had sent us off.

Rainbow Dash was fluttering above us, angrily thinking to herself. She suddenly exploded with speed down to my level.

"What was your role for coming here?" she demanded. "Were you supposed to protect us?"

I froze. I was in no mood for her accusations.

She snorted. "You were supposed to come here and help us with fighting off Tangerine Hopes, but you got us banished!"

"Rainbow…" Rarity worriedly said.

Applejack began to tear up.

"I most certainly did NOT!" I shouted. "I was brought here to be a ground for the group, a support system to help you get through! I don't know what world you come from, _Dashie_, but I have done my absolute _damndest_ to make sure I've been whatever's been needed of me!"

"Likely story," Rainbow said, butting into me. "You were probably brought here by Tangerine Hopes to cause this chaos so she could take over the world, and your saving of Applejack was just a part of her plan to divide and conquer!"

I gasped. "You didn't…" I said, dropping my voice down to a low rumble. I bit my lip.

"Guys…" Pinkie said, tearing up. "Don't… please…"

"I did," Rainbow said. "What'cha gonna do about it."

I went dead silent. Biting my lip, I tried to hold my tears. I really did. I, like Rainbow, knew what we'd been through, and it was all I could do to stop myself from bawling, but that one statement about my close call saving Applejack, coupled with the stress of figuring out who Tangerine Hopes was and dealing with the emotions of fighting a close friend, sent me over the brink. I bolted away as fast as my hooves could take me, my better sense barely maintaining control over a locked-away temper that could have utterly destroyed Rainbow Dash had I stayed.

The group behind me erupted into bitter chaos, but I didn't care. I was going to head anywhere but there. I didn't want to put up with it anymore. I just wanted to cry…

About ten minutes of solid running later, I sat by a lake. Feeling like a failure was hard enough without someone as hot-headed as Rainbow Dash rubbing it in. I looked at my reflection in the lake, formerly of a human, now of a pony without a country of his own… I was through. I was just… through. I looked up at the stars, and as I traced random constellations in the sky, slowly remembered an old lyric I had sung many times…

_Crucified, laid behind a stone_

_You lived to die, rejected and alone_

_Like a rose, trampled on the ground_

_You took the fall and thought of me_

_Above all…_

The lyric was from a song that had been released in my childhood, one that had been my favourite since I first heard it. It spoke of my Hero, the One I worshipped. My faith in Him was where I had found my strength as a human, so why had it not passed through to this world?

"Maybe… Maybe I lost myself in the amazement of one of my favourite things…" I said to myself.

I began remembering different phrases of meaning and importance, sentences of simple wisdom that had been passed down for years. I smiled as I remembered the tales of His life.

Then I realized what I had to do.

I thanked my Hero and left for the camp, more determined than ever. I realized I needed to separate myself from a nation, identity, and even personal preferences. He had put me here for a reason, and to do what we needed we had to separate ourselves from all we had known before. I began singing the song in whole, slowly gaining encouragement from the lyrics. I steadily smiled, my strength restored.

When I arrived, I heard Rainbow Dash had flown off. I took off into the sky, looking around for the pony of sky-blue coloring. I told everyone to wait here – I had an idea as to where she was headed.

I flew towards Cloudsdale, but found Rainbow Dash fluttering, dumbfounded, against a barrier of pink magic.

"We can't go back," I said.

"It's your fault, you know," she insisted. "You've caused so much division its crazy!"

I lowered myself to the ground slowly and lay down on the dirt.

"If you believe me to be your enemy, then kill me," I said, lying on my side. "I will not fight."

Rainbow Dash was taken aback by this sudden turn. She swallowed, her conviction shaken.

I continued, "Avatar of the Element of Loyalty! List for me the times I've betrayed the group or given any doubt as to my loyalty during my time here, then, having done so, judge me unfit to be the support necessary and kill me with your bare hooves!"

She began contemplating the statement. She could find no argument to counteract me, no fault in my statement or my actions, nothing to back up her judgment. All she could think of was me saving Applejack, nearly giving my life in the process. Her eyes began tearing up, and she gently lowered herself down by my side.

"I-" she started before stopping, finally getting it.

I looked up at her. "Where's my death blow?" I asked.

"I'm… sorry…" she said. "I can find no fault with you."

I righted myself, but didn't get up fully.

She thought for a second. "This is the third time you've done this… first, when we first met, and second, when I confronted you about Applejack. Why do you do it?"

I simply stated, standing up. "If you wish for peace, become the peace you wish for."

Rainbow puzzled at the statement. "What's that mean?"

"You have to be the example of what you want to see before people will believe in what you believe," I said, elaborating. "Otherwise, you become exactly like everyone else."

"What does that have to do with what you did?" she asked.

I looked where I just got up from. "I want to bring peace wherever I go, so I practice my culture's design for peace. I'm not perfect, of course, and I will fail to exemplify it on occasion. I do have a nasty temper, after all. That's why I ran off – so I would not victimize you and defeat my purpose here. I do not like violence, and I try my best to refuse to use it in any way I can where I can avoid it."

I looked in her eyes. "I see in you my temper, but I also see a desire for a better, friendlier, more loyal world. I figured the best way to get your attention was to simply collapse and let you do as you willed without resistance, hoping this would show you my loyalty."

"But why?" she asked.

"Because… that's what my Hero did for me," I said. "My mission is to serve as I have been served."

Rainbow sulked in shame. "I... I'm sorry. I blamed you for something you never did. I-I've been an awful friend."

I smiled. "It's okay," I said. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"But I've come at you three times…" she said. "Three times, and twice without reason! That's… inexcusable!"

"Loyalty is not easily won," I said. "Neither is your friendship."

Rainbow still lowed before me. "I just can't believe it… Everything I've ever known, loved about, or cared about… is gone…" A short sob sputtered through her visage.

I hugged her. "Oh, Loyalty…"

"Snap… you've made me… cry…" Rainbow sputtered between tears. "I don't look very cool right now… I'm going to have to go back and apologize."

I smiled. "You're cool enough to apologize."

Rainbow chuckled a sad laugh, then sniffled, "Thanks."

I walked with her back to camp where she apologized to every member of the camp of seven. She had damaged connections with her words, as Applejack had killed their chances in Ponyville while under the influence of Tangerine's magic.

Tangerine Hopes…

I refused, _absolutely refused_ to refer to her as this "Crystal Fist" nonsense she spewed…

Tangerine was powerful, but not immortal. She was crafty, but not impossibly intelligent. She was sneaky, but not silent. Her greatest weakness, though, was that she was alone, and without assistance.

But what was her plan?

For hints to that, we continued bantering about her journal, the one book we took with us along our journey, trying to piece together any little fragments, small bits, the encrypted… whatever she had scribbled… anything in the hopes it would reveal her ultimate plan.

Applejack remained silent.

As the five other girls bantered on, I moved alongside the mare. She then spoke for the first time since the fall of her brother.

"Zytharros…" she said.

I smiled, happy to hear her speak. "What?"

She looked at me and said, "That rage… That… ugly… nasty… rip-roarin', horse-apple-blastin', mind-destroyin' _rage_… Will it wake up again?"

I thought about it as we continued moving on, away from all we had known. "Y'know, Applejack, I can't tell you if it will or if it won't. It may, but now you know how she gets to ponies intimately."

"She preys on their weaknesses," Applejack said. "My heart was ripe for her pickin', like a sweet, red, delicious apple. You broke it, she took that, and turned it into…"

She instantly froze, coming into a terrible realization. "That kick that killed Big Mac… it was meant for you…"

I shivered. "Explain how you know this," I said.

The girls heard what was going on and came over. Applejack quickly briefed them on what we had been discussing, then moved on.

"Shortly after I arrived at home the afternoon you broke my heart, I was visited by a strange mare in a black cloak. She gave me some good comfort food, allowin' me to feel at peace and relax. I realized somethin' was amiss a couple hours later. I snapped at Apple Bloom so suddenly I shocked myself. I had no control. Slowly, my mind got all cloudy-like… I remember settlin' down for the night, then bein' awoke by Apple Bloom poundin' me on the head, and that's all I actually remember. Y'all know that about what I remember.

But… somethin' I just realized was I remembered she told me to 'take out the one you hate right now' as she left. I'm guessin' the kick that killed my brother had enough power behind it for just one death, and that the death she wanted was you, Zytharros."

I nodded. "So she's gotten more aggressive."

"She must know we're on to her," Twilight said. "We'll have to be extra-cautious."

"There's no telling what will happen with her next attack," Rarity said. "We'll have to watch out for each other."

I put my hoof in the centre of the circle. "Agreed."

Fluttershy grew cross. "I don't want any more of my friends harmed. The last time this happened, Discord nearly broke us up." She put her hoof in the centre. "I can't bear that thought…"

"We have to learn from our experiences with Discord," Rainbow said. "He was a smart enemy. This one looks like she's becoming Discord 2." She copied Fluttershy and I. "We can_not_ let her mess with our minds!"

Rarity nodded. "We shall watch and protect each other on this trial." She put her hoof in the centre. "We cannot afford to lose our unity."

Pinkie smiled – her first smile since our exodus began. "We have to protect our hearts and minds. She'll try anything to get us to fight." She put her hoof in the centre.

"For Equestria… For the world…" Applejack declared. She put her hoof in the centre. "We, as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, have to be an example of what Tangerine wants to destroy!"

Twilight smiled and looked around at her friends. "The rekindled warmth in your hearts… I feel it flowing through me. Our elements, our example… is now safe."

We connected hooves, all seven of us.

"But for how long?" a two-pronged voice said, echoing over the plain we stood on.

We whipped around. There stood the one pony that had driven us from our lands and our homes. In full colour, she revealed herself to us – the same pony from the picture, and the pony who wrote the journal chronicling her madness…

Tangerine Hopes.

"I've screwed up unions ten times this strength," she said, laughing. "I've destroyed seven different variations of the Elements of – she spat on the earth – Harmony. I've broken the best defenses placed before me. What can you do that I have yet to see?"

In a flash of anger, all the girls leapt for her at once, intent on tearing her limb from limb.

And in a second flash, each girl lay in different, defeated poses, struck simultaneously across the dimensional barrier by our assailant. I alone stood against her.

"Zytharros," she said.

I glared at her, stone-silent.

She laughed. "Don't play strong silent type with me, Earthling."

Six collective gasps were heard from those lying in severe pain. "You know?" Twilight asked.

She laughed. "Yes, thanks to you."

Twilight bit her tongue. Hard. I still stood there, stone-faced.

"Tangerine," I said. "You've caused far too much torment to this world. Cease your actions now."

"Or what?" she chuckled. "You'll kill me? You don't have the balls, _gelding_."

I continued glaring at her. "I promise nothing, neither mercy nor vengeance. You attacked my friends. If you attack me, I will not be responsible for what happens."

She smiled evilly. Seven quick strikes brought me down to the earth in significant pain. I just lay there, enduring.

"You talk big, but you don't have the backup," she said. "I will make sure this group fails, and when I do, I will end all life in this dimension… and yours, Zytharros."

I kept the same expression as I stood again.

"Oh, you're a stubborn one," she said.

She used the same seven strikes, but this time I just flinched.

"Elements of Harmony!" I declared. "Lend me your power!"

No power came.

"Wake up," she said. "You're finished."

I looked around. Each member of my team cowered before Tangerine. So I collapsed.

"If I receive no help, I can give no help," I muttered.

Tangerine set on us. For five minutes, there was nothing but pain and torment. Nothing but evil screams and violence upon my being. However, by the third minute, I had gone numb. When she had finished, she disappeared into a dimensional portal, laughing.

Twilight was the last one I heard.

A weak "I'm sorry…" passed her lips.

Followed by…

"We failed you."

Then the world went black once again.


	10. Day 20

_Day 20_

I woke up to a light breeze, soft grass, and Fluttershy's face in the dark of the pre-sunrise early morning, smiling in happiness that I had finally awoken. I had a wicked headache and a sting in my soul. Nothing had gone right since I had entered Equestria. I had hoped to spend some time here, then head home. No. It had almost been a month, and I had been attacked and nearly killed twice. I had come face to face with hell on Equestria. These ponies I had been a fan of had not been strong enough in our time of glory to stop her, despite facing down Nightmare Moon and Discord.

I snorted as I awoke in the worst mood I had been in since I entered their land. I wanted to lay into the six of them. I wanted them to feel the bitter pain I had felt as they left me hanging. I wanted to hurt something… but I knew that wouldn't get us anywhere, so I tried to simply swallow my anger. It helped that everypony there had a bit of a somber look to them.

They gathered at my feet.

"We're sorry, Zytharros…" Twilight apologized. "We saw her and were scared."

Applejack looked away. "After what you did for me, I was a damn _coward_ in her presence… I'm so ashamed…"

Rainbow was scared, hiding speechless behind Fluttershy, who offered her apology as well. "I was unkind to you. I should have given you my power."

Pinkie's mane and tail were flat once again. "I tried, Zytharros… but I couldn't get past… my… fear…"

Finally, Rarity stepped forward, crying. "This was clearly. The. Worst. Possible. Thing! Ever!"

My heart melted, and the pain of last night left me. The one thing I hated more than being abandoned like that was holding a grudge. I gathered the girls to me and just hugged them, letting them know through our shared tears and apologies that all was forgiven. They were relieved, and somewhat amazed that I was so willing to forgive.

Rarity was especially shocked.

"After what we did to your poor heart… you'd still forgive us?" she asked.

"I can't remain angry for long," I said. "I just physically can't. It hurts too much."

Rainbow looked down. "You're a far better pony than we are…"

We hugged in a massive group hug for a while before we released. I turned back to Ponyville.

"Uh, sugarcube… where d'ya think you're goin'?" she asked. "We're exiled, remember?"

"Twilight," I said. Something didn't feel right.

She bounded to my side. "I feel it, too…"

Pinkie's body began twitching. "Me three… It's a bi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ig doozy…"

Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash lined up behind us. The magic barrier flickered, then died.

"Princess Celestia…" I said. I hesitated only for a second before bolting back.

The rest of my group followed. Ponyville was in trouble. The Princess was in trouble. Most of all, our loved ones were in trouble.

"Apple Bloom…" Applejack said. "I'll redeem myself in your eyes, even if I have to die doing it."

Pinkie Pie frowned in bright pink fury. Her hair shimmered back to its normal pink, popping back into place. "Sugarcube Corner was the best place to throw parties… It better not be touched!"

Rainbow Dash kept pace, even though she knew she could get there faster. "All for one," she simply said. "All for one crystal-fisted PUNCH to the BRAIN of one Tangerine HOPES!"

Rarity grew hot with anger. "Sweetie Belle… Carousel Boutique… I will never forgive Ms. Hopes if she damages even a square inch of your beings!"

Fluttershy followed in silence, determined to lend a wing or hoof at any cost.

Twilight and I charged together towards our hometown. Our exile lasted only one day, but in that time, Equestria had fallen – I was certain of it. Twilight was certain of it.

This time we would make no mistake. This time the Elements of Harmony would awaken.

Tangerine Hopes had pissed off the wrong ponies.

As we approached Ponyville's valley, we were stunned to see the wreck of the land. Trees were snapped in half. Lifeless pony bodies were everywhere, and comments were made as we passed by ponies we knew.

"No… Bon Bon…" Rarity said, shedding tears for her friend.

Twilight sobbed. "Octavia…"

Pinkie began crying. Her party buddies were no more.

For each friend we passed, there was more sadness, yet more determination than ever. It seemed like Tangerine had specifically targeted all the favourites of the Bronydom and then laid their heads on pikes as we entered Ponyville, following with some of the other, less-popular ponies. Their bodies followed, humiliated and abused in ways nopony should ever be disrespected, all cutie marks removed from their flanks by force.

Finally, a kook-eyed pony's blonde mane appeared in a tree.

"Derpy!" I called. Fully expecting her to be dead but finding her alive was a wonderful twist to our bleak walk, but she had little good news to deliver.

She fluttered down from the tree, sobbing. "It was horrible… Horrible! Everyone died so suddenly… Tangerine came and wiped out the whole town in one hour… I barely escaped…"

"Derpy…" Applejack said, almost in a panic. "Apple Bloom! Where is she?"

"The only sanctuary left in Equestria," she said. "My house. There are about six of us left."

"Who?" Twilight asked as we took off for Derpy's humble abode.

Derpy tripped over a stone, landing on her face. She quickly got up and pressed on… pain could wait. "There's Apple Bloom, Lyra Heartstrings, Vinyl Scratch, Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, and myself. We're the last ponies alive in the area."

"What about Cloudsdale?" Rainbow Dash asked. "And the Wonder Bolts?"

"Where's Sweetie Belle?" Rarity shrieked. "She's not with you!"

Derpy fell silent for a few seconds. "Sweetie Belle was the very first to die. The Wonder Bolts responded to her death first… and were the next to die," she finally recalled. "Equestria fell really quickly after that, Cloudsdale included."

We broke into the abode of Derpy Hooves, converted into a makeshift base of operations. Rarity collapsed in tears in the middle of the floor. The remaining Cutie Mark Crusaders, still blank-flanked, closed and latched the door. Apple Bloom threw herself into her waiting sister's arms.

"Princess Celestia explained everything," she said, crying in terror. "I'm sorry… I'm not angry anymore… Poor sister… I'm so happy you're home…"

Applejack and sister hugged for a long time, the last of their family in the area.

"The pain…" Fluttershy said. "The pain in this room… it's overwhelming…"

Derpy nodded. "We've been recuperating from the shock in here," she said.

"Where's Princess Celestia?" I asked. Twilight, hearing the question as she checked up on everyone present, clued in.

"She's fightin' Crystal Fist in Old Canterlot," Vinyl Scratch said, her calm, cool, casual demeanor evident even in how she spoke. "Said she was gonna make the old witch pay."

"Oh no…" Twilight moaned. "Princess…"

The Elements of Loyalty lowed in mourning. Vinyl lifted her glasses, eyeing us with fire-red eyes.

"Why the long faces, dudes?" she queried. "The Princess'll take care of her."

"She's got no idea what she's up against," Applejack said. "We were walloped before we even lay a hair on her."

The entire room collapsed into a black hole of silence.

"The seven of you?" Scootaloo asked. "Even you, Rainbow Dash?" She looked at her idol with an amount of concern so great it couldn't be measured.

"'Fraid so, squirt," Rainbow said. "We weren't ready for her."

Derpy bit her lip. "Then… what's gonna happen to the Princess?"

There was an uneasy silence from the Elements of Harmony, but it told everypony everything they needed to know: the Princess had likely flown straight to her death.

"Oh no…" Lyra said. "What can we do to help?"

I sighed. "The best thing you can do is stay here and remain alive to preserve the memory of Equestria as it was before this whole debacle."

"De-what-now?" Applejack asked.

"Problem," Twilight corrected.

"Oh." Applejack said, smiling.

"Does anyone know what she's been up to since Tangerine took over?" I asked.

"You mean Crystal Fist, dude…" Vinyl tried correcting.

"I refuse to use that name," I said, shaking my head. "It is not her real name."

"We use Tangerine Hopes on purpose," Fluttershy said. "While I was waking up after our last battle, I realized that Crystal Fist is the evil side, the corrupted entity behind the destruction. If you call her by that name, she gains power and Tangerine, the poor host of the corruption, loses power."

"That was how she managed to destroy other versions of the Elements of Harmony and leave Equestria ruined… what was it… seven times over?" Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "She got them to call her Crystal Fist. Every time they did, she gained power and made Tangerine Hopes lose it. Eventually, Tangerine succumbed and Crystal Fist eliminated that dimension."

"She's slowly disappearing into her captor's mind," Pinkie said. "If we don't stop her here she'll take over and destroy all existence as we know it."

"We don't know how she does it, but-" Twilight started.

Suddenly, the earth shook. We ran outside. Sparks slashed up the sky and curtains of clouds began twisting into a whirlpool. We wondered what she was doing, and knew it wasn't good.

"We have to get to Old Canterlot – and fast…" I said. Once again, something didn't feel right. In fact, this was the worst uncomfortable feeling I had ever felt. I quickly scooped up Applejack. Rainbow took Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, with great struggle, took up Twilight.

"Remember, Fluttershy – she's already destroyed everything you love," I said. "She almost crushed Applejack under Canterlot…"

Her eyes registered shock at the memory.

"She completely destroyed Old Canterlot…"

Fluttershy's eye twitched.

"And… she made Applejack kill her brother."

"That… big… dumb… MEANIE!" Fluttershy screeched. "Hold on, Twilight… you're going for a ride!"

She blasted off, creating an instant sonic rainboom of her own to the shock and surprise of every last member of our party. Twilight flailed in the air, helpless against the pressure of the air on her back. Rainbow and I followed with our mares in tow. I also picked up Rarity with magic in the same way I had picked up Applejack before.

We landed on the edge of Old Canterlot, revisiting a city of destruction we had hoped to never have watched again. Every step into the city was a step of overcoming fear for those who had survived and of shock for those who hadn't stayed. Rarity was not responding emotionally to anything now. Her emotions were drained. In fact, she looked like she didn't care anymore. Sweetie Belle was gone, her parents were gone, her customers were gone… she looked like a thoroughly defeated pony.

I sidled up to her. "You'll survive," I said.

She didn't respond.

"Anything I can do to lighten your mood?" I asked.

She sighed. The rest of us looked at our forlorn comrade as we continued walking.

"I never got to say goodbye…" she said. "I didn't get to say goodbye… you didn't get to wear your dresses… we didn't-"

I hugged her as she simply looked in shock over my shoulder, out towards nothing, emotionless and cold. I conjured up an image of Sweetie Belle in my mind.

"It won't be the same thing, but…" I projected the image on the earth. "Would you say goodbye to a hologram of your sister?"

Rarity was shocked. There was her sister, playing, flipping, messing up her shop, running with the Cutie Mark Crusaders… She was… alive…

Rarity's heart broke as a still image of a sweetly-smiling Sweetie Belle appeared. She looked at me, smiling for the first time in twenty-four hours, and walked over the hologram. Kissing the dirt underneath her sister's forehead and shedding tears onto her eyes, she smiled. She casted some magic on my horn and, with my assistance, relived some of her best moments with Sweetie Belle on the ground. To her amazement they were not of tea parties, fancy to-do, and Canterlot-esque imitations of royalty… they were of the Sisterhooves Social, getting messy, and failed costumes.

All stuff Sweetie Belle had taught her to learn to love.

She stared at this mysterious world of memories colouring the cobblestone below for five minutes, silently saying goodbye to all she knew.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle…" Rarity said. "I would go to ten thousand Sisterhooves Socials with you… if I could only see your face again… hold you… love you… anything…"

She placed one last kiss on the forehead of her sister as the image of the now-dead, innocent filly faded from view. Rarity gained a sad smile as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you again, Zytharros," she said.

I smiled. "Glad I could help."

So we continued walking.

As we approached the castle, Pinkie Pie froze.

"There are decorations here… decorations for the…" she said, then stopped. She had been so party deprived, so happiness deprived. The Element of Laughter couldn't stand being so serious. "I… I wanna party…" she said, sniffling.

We stopped. I looked at her. "Would it help to remember the parties of weeks ago?"

Pinkie nodded, looking at me with the hopefulness of a two-year-old holding his very first box of Smarties that he understood meant chocolate and sweet foodstuff inside. So I showed her the same I had shown Rarity, but this time it was of my arrival and recovery parties. Everypony looked so happy and alive…

"If she wins, there will be no more of these," I said.

Pinkie's eyes slowly lit up with worry. "No more parties… ever?"

I shook my head. The hologram wasn't working with her.

"Imagine – little colts and fillies never growing up knowing what a party was… yearlings not being able to celebrate… birthdays passing by without cheer…"

"That's horrible…" she said, freaked out.

Rainbow continued, realizing what I was saying. "Our elements… We now hold the fate of everything important to us in our hands…."

"Parties and happiness…" Pinkie said.

Applejack spoke, "Honesty and hard work…"

"Loyalty and trust…" Rainbow Dash added.

Rarity included, "Generosity and high fashion…" in the list.

"Kindness and peace…" said Fluttershy.

"And friendship…" added Twilight. "Each of these things are threatened today."

"Each one is amplified by one thing – humility," I said. "Humbling yourself to listen to your friends is how each of these things is expressed. Each is tied together with the others in an inexorable – Applejack, unbreakable – bond in this way."

I approached Twilight. "This is why I said I could do no more than amplify your power. I only have power if you are willing to lend me yours, accepting humility in your hearts."

"Such a touching sentiment…" that evil, two-toned voice said, standing nearby on a rock.

"Tangerine…" Fluttershy declared.

We turned to face her. She held a large mare in her magic spell. The mare was limp. Her pastel hair dangled to her side, unwavering in the wind that only it knew.

"No!" Twilight shouted. "Princess Celestia!"

"Have your useless princess back…" tossing the limp Celestia to the dirt below like a worn-out toy. "She was fun for a couple hours, but she got dull with her talk of 'sparing her subjects' and trying to get me to… 'leave Equestria'… I finally had enough and finished her off."

The Princess coughed and raised her head to look in Twilight's eyes. She choked out, "Twilight… I'm sorry… I…"

Her head fell limp to the dirt. The entire group tensed up. This time, there was no charging. Each pony clearly remembered what had happened the last time.

"Are you done yet?" the pony snorted in frustration. "I've gotta get on to destroying this world and Zytharros'."

She shot a magic beam up to the sky. It was rent open, the very stars and dimensional fabric tearing and fraying at the seams, loosely waving in winds only dimensional travellers were familiar with. Slowly, an image of Planet Earth appeared in the sky.

It was then we realized she was going to use Equestria and Earth as weapons against one another and do their dimensions in at the same time.

"Now, if only I could break this fourth wall junk…" she said.

She looked over at us, then smiled a black smile at Pinkie Pie.

"You will help me break that wall!" she shouted, diving into another portal. She grabbed Pinkie by the tail and pulled her through. The pony flailed helplessly in the hooves of our enemy.

"Pinkie!" we shouted.

Pinkie chuckled, then laughed.

"What's so funny?" Tangerine asked indignantly.

"You must've been named for your hair," Pinkie commented. "It looks exactly like the right colour!"

The girl was dumbfounded. She was even more weirded out when Pinkie simply slipped her tail from her grasp and laughed again. Her face quickly twisted into a half-annoyed, half laughing, confused mess. Soon, though, she slugged Pinkie, knocking her back towards us.

"Ow… That wasn't nice…" Pinkie said, rubbing her bloodied proboscis.

The combat commenced… or rather, the second rout. Once again we collapsed as Tangerine beat the snot out of us. Just as Twilight collapsed a second time, she caught a pattern of slight hesitation in Tangerine's behaviour, stopping her cold with a levitation spell.

"Hey!" she shouted. "This isn't what's supposed to happen!"

"You didn't count on a few things…" I said.

She groaned. "Oh, shut up!" she shouted, firing an ugly green laser in my direction.

The laser was heading for me, coming closer, and faster than I could dodge. I braced, staring my death down the barrel of a unicorn's horn.

What happened next took only a few seconds, but felt like it took forever.

The laser came towards me. A white pony leapt from my left. The pony crossed paths with the laser, taking a direct hit. The laser fizzled out her back, leaving a fried patch of hair. Her trajectory changed, she flew backwards, connecting with me and rolling twice. I reeled in pain, then opened my eyes. What I saw was horrific.

"Rarity!" I screamed, my eyes filling with tears.

The pony was arched over my barrel, eyes open in a contented state of bliss, her mouth smiling. Her exposed front end was fried from one end to the other. I was certain her internal organs were nothing but dust. Her skin slowly became covered in gray, beginning with her face and sprinkling down her body to her hindquarters.

I lay her down on the ground and sobbed over her lifeless body. Twilight dropped her prisoner and ran over to look at their friend.

"I've done it!" Tangerine said, absolutely ecstatic. "I've killed one of the Elements of Harmony!"

I grew hot with anger, hotter than I ever had before. "You…"

"Are you going to accept defeat now?" she crowed proudly. "You can't use all the Elements of Harmony now! You're done! Your world is finished!"

"You did not destroy the Element of Generosity," I said flatly.

She laughed, pointing to Rarity with her hoof. "Tell me how. There she lies, dead and gone, with no hope of revival."

"I will tell you exactly what you just did… and then you will _cower before perfect generosity_," I commanded. Through my tears, I explained emphatically and with great dynamism, "You took away everything she ever loved – her dresses, Sweetie Belle, her shop, and her friends. You made her desolate, desperate to give anything to aid in your demise. Well, she just gave the last thing she had – _her life_ – and when you have given everything else up and then give that up, you become…"

I paused, giving time for my next words to sink in.

"…_perfectly generous_." I continued, dropping a huge bomb on Tangerine Hopes. The mare began to realize what she had just done.

"You not only helped her give it all, she _wanted_ to give it all when she was done. She was willing to give her life to protect mine. She will _forever_ have my loyalty because of this.

So you see, not only did your action _not_ have the effect you wanted… it had the _opposite_ effect…

You just gave the Element of Generosity its…

…_perfect…_

…strength."

She gasped. I began concentrating on an amplification spell. She tried to use her magic to get out of the dimension, but she couldn't.

"What the hay?" she shrieked. "Why can't I leave!"

"The Element of Generosity stops you," I said.

Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack stood behind me. The wind kicked up. They began glowing. The shards of the Elements of Harmony hovered around us, slowly and gradually drawing to their respective bearer.

"No…" Tangerine whimpered. She tried to run, but the Element of Generosity encased her in a magical purple box. She couldn't go anywhere – and, for the first time in hundreds of years, saw a singular timeline – the timeline… of her demise.

The Elements of Harmony granted their bearers their magical articles.

A voice popped into my head, a kind and sweet voice not unlike Fluttershy's.

"Crystal Fist must die," she said. "I will restrain her from within myself. You do the rest."

"Tangerine! But what if you die, too?"

She began crying. "Don't hold back. Let me die with this monster. I've lived too long… much too long… I don't want to live anymore… Please… as the Seventh Element, please do as I request."

A lump appeared in my throat. "I will not miss," I said.

So, gradually, our powers grew. Tangerine was not moving. Crystal Fist was bound up in Tangerine's will, fighting with herself to regain control. Our glows intensified. A funnel appeared on my horn, directed backward at the Elements of Harmony.

I opened my mouth just as the Elements of Harmony fired their blasts into my funnel. A white ray flew out of my mouth. It connected with Tangerine Hopes, causing a crazy, demonic scream to erupt from the mare.

Pinkie Pie opened her mouth. "I am the defender of all that is fun and joyous, the Element of Laughter!" Her pink beam joined the power already pouring into the funnel.

"I am a friend and confidant, the one always there when you need a helping hand, the Element of Loyalty!" Rainbow Dash's blue beam joined the fracas.

"I am the Element of Kindness, the one who will never harm a fly if she can help it!" Fluttershy announced. Her yellow beam joined in.

Applejack called out next… "Do not speak a lie in front of me… I can sniff out even the whitest of lies, the Element of Honesty!" Her orange beam shot forth.

I spoke for Rarity. "I give where I can, and although there are those who say I give to a fault, I will never stop… the Element of Generosity!" A purple glow enveloped Tangerine Hopes.

"And I am the element of Friendship," Twilight said, "The sum total of all these pieces put together!"

The six of them shouted in unison… "Together we stand as one, fighting for the freedom of all races everywhere! We are rooted in Cephas, the Element of Humility!"

Tangerine Hopes vaporized in the sea of white. Slowly, the beam fanned out and spread across the world. It repaired those who were broken, revived those who had died, repaired the rift in the dimensions, and restored Canterlot to its' former glory. The sun shone again, and the clouds slowly made way for the evening light to emerge.

Rarity got up… "What happened…?" she asked. "Did we get Tangerine Hopes?"

"We did," I said. "We certainly did."

After a few seconds of silence, everyone burst out in emotion, half-laughing, half-crying. The stress was gone. The darkness was vanquished. We could all breathe easier again. Equestria had been restored.

I had hoped to stay longer in Equestria, but I knew I would have to go home soon.

I just hoped it wasn't too soon.


	11. Day 25

_Day 25_

I woke up… and groaned.

I didn't like waking up. Not today.

I didn't want to go home… but I knew I had to. I had a family, and she needed me.

But I didn't want to go… not just yet.

As a reward for my work against Tangerine Hopes, Princess Celestia granted me five extra days in Equestria. I had spent them as best I could. I went apple-bucking with Applejack, took a trip around the sky with Rainbow Dash, got fitted for a suit I would never wear again with Rarity, taught Pinkie Pie the recipe for paska (which, of course, she over-sweetened… just a little), went star-gazing and discussed miscellaneous theories a little more with Twilight, and hung out with Fluttershy and her animal friends.

I also spent time with Vinyl Scratch (who prefers her real name to her stage name, DJ P0N-3, by the way) mixing music and recording a few tracks, helped Derpy with her mail run, became an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader, tasted Colgate's tail (accidentally, mind you… but I can confirm it tastes like toothpaste… um… just… don't ask…) and Pinkie Pie's mane (which actually IS cotton candy, by the way… same accident… _still not talkin' about it_!), partied twice, and finished my written project. I even helped Princess Celestia initiate the retrofitting project for Canterlot's cable systems and turned down an honorary Wonder Bolt offer, instead redirecting their attention to Rainbow Dash… who was so shocked she right fainted.

It's an interesting feeling when you know the end is coming… you really do put in a lot of effort into your day, even if it would come to nothing and the ponies who you would remember may forget you ever existed after you left courtesy of unicorn magic. Things just feel better. The breeze in your mane and under your wings, traveling down your body and off your tail as you're flying... it was divine. The food eaten… they were some of the best salads, sandwiches, and grain cereals I had ever tasted.

So many thoughts popped into my head. So many memories… I turned over, and began idly chipping away at the wood of the wall next to my bed, recalling all I could possibly remember. Each memory was a precious feather fluttering on the winds of time.

I wasn't to leave until midnight, so I had one full day left… but it didn't feel enough. It felt I was going to die… at least metaphorically. I groaned… leaving was always so stressful, but this was the first time as I was leaving that I knew I could never in my wildest dreams come back to where I had left from. Princess Celestia had even said so herself before sending us somberly to bed. She had said she was being kind to even let me stay five extra days… even to _let me into_ _Equestria_ violated several hundred ancient edicts, tomes, vows, and prophecies…

I moped around for a couple minutes, enjoying the stale library smell I had become accustomed to over these last twenty-five days. I picked up and disinterestedly slowly flipped through a couple unfinished Daring Do books… I would have to gather them in a neat, little pile for Twilight to put away later… but my mind was too busy to take anything in, so I closed them.

Sighing, I said to nopony in particular, "Well, I guess… I have to get up…"

The plan was to have me say goodbye to all the people of Ponyville, then head out of town towards the Everfree Forest. Each Element of Harmony, and finally Princess Celestia, would join me in a little clearing Rainbow Dash had selected once I had arrived, and when the moon was high and ponies were asleep, I would leave. I had played the scene over hundreds of times in my head over the past few days, always with me putting on a poker face, congratulating the girls, and then smiling an adventurous smile, like the lead character Goku always did in Dragonball as he walked away on a new adventure, as I passed through the portal.

But every time I pictured the scene, I thought of all the girls and their clouded faces, and _my_ eyes clouded over with them. On a number of occasions I had to bite my lip and smile through the pain. More memories… Pinkie's second successful paska, my first tandem sonic rainboom with Rainbow Dash… each of these moments caused a little rift in my soul.

I didn't want to go… but I had to… for both worlds' sakes. I was a human in a pegacorn… alicorn… whatever… body… a native of Earth, forever foreign to this land and its' ways.

I stomped twice, trying to sort out this flood of emotion within my mind. I decided going out for a fly would clear my head, so I left the library.

"Don't go too far," I heard a slightly-nerdy, but warm and gentle voice speak.

I looked back over my shoulder at Twilight questioningly.

"We've got that pi-pic…" she said, choking back tears, "picnic today…"

I smiled caringly. "I'll be there."

I closed the door. I listened for a bit, hearing Twilight's sobs. I bit my lip. Her tears didn't help my disposition… not in the least.

I flapped my wings, catching air and gaining altitude. I pulled a hard hammerhead, a sudden and g-force-tearing vertical plummet, at the height of my rise. I settled into a glide, flying over the town of Ponyville at 3,000 feet. On one of my loops, I spotted Rainbow Dash's house. I landed on the cloud and knocked. After a couple seconds, Rainbow opened the door.

"Oh, hi, Zytharros," she said. "What brings you here?"

I sighed. "You know I'm leaving today…"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"You don't seem too hard-hit by it," I observed.

Rainbow sighed. "I can't say I haven't been fazed… I haven't eaten a thing all morning. I'm still shocked today is… y'know… _the day_. We had so much fun together and I can't…" she trailed off.

She sniffled, looking away. "None of us want you to go, but we all know you've got stuff to do. I just can't believe it's _today_…" she trailed off again, the tears coming a little freer now. "I-I'm sorry… I have to go…"

She bolted from the room out a window. I followed, but slowly. I stopped just outside her house as I watched the rainbow-coloured mare disappear into a cloud.

I lowered myself into a tree directly below me and watched the passers-by for an hour or so, then noticed Fluttershy walk past. I dropped out of the tree and walked up behind her.

"Fluttershy?" I asked meekly.

She stopped and looked behind her. Seeing me, she gave me a smile.

"Zytharros!" she said brightly.

I sighed. "You mind if I hang with you for a bit?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no! Go right ahead!"

I matched her pace as we walked to her house.

"How're your chickens?" I asked.

She smiled. "They're fine. We just hatched three new chicks today. They're so cute!"

I smiled. "That's good." _Good – someone who can take my mind off my pain._

"And the bunnies are doing well, too," she said excitedly. "Well, one's getting a little rambunctious, you kno-" her sentence suddenly broke off. A lip quivered, and she bolted.

I sighed. I had hoped to get lost in a conversation to forget my pain, but two tries now had ended in failure. I needed something to do, something to forget my pain. I flew off in search of a cloud to rest on, to think on, to sort my mind out.

Shortly after my takeoff, Pinkie Pie called me down off my wings.

"What'cha doin'?" she asked with a giant smile on her face.

I chuckled. Leave it to Pinkie to brighten my mood. "Actually, I'm trying to pass the time until tonight…" I said, my demeanor slipping.

"Oh! Right! You go home today!" she said, still smiling. "Say hi to your family from me!"

I chuckled. "I only wish I could… the reality of my world is if I mention _anything_ of my adventures in your world I'd likely be committed to a mental ward."

"What's that?" Pinkie asked innocently.

I could see her mood deteriorating a little. She sure was a resilient pony.

I told her. "It's a place where people who've lost their minds go."

Pinkie gasped. "You can lose minds in your world! Where do people lose them? Do they find them again?"

I remained silent with a smile on my face, chuckling inwardly, but feeling no desire to express it audibly. Pinkie still looked at me quizzically.

"So?" she asked again.

I sighed, wanting to get off the morbid subject. It reminded me too much of my own grandfather's death, and the deteriorating condition of a few people I knew who had the brain-degenerating disease dementia. "It's… rare… usually those in wards have to be medicated before they can be released."

Seemed like my destiny was depression today… I needed to let loose and play.

"Wanna run around randomly?" I suddenly suggested.

Pinkie and I spent the day until lunch just running around carelessly. We caused all kinds of mischief from one end of Ponyville to another. Soon we were joined by our friends on a hilltop just outside the town where we finally settled down for our final picnic together. Applejack pulled up with a special barrel of cider she had prepared for today. We spent the afternoon just enjoying each other's company, playing, talking, watching the clouds not controlled by pegasi drift lazily by… it was a wonderful way to finally let loose. I even taught them the game of soccer… football… whichever you want to call it… played on Earth. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, of course, got carried away in the competition, and wound up brawling while the rest of us laughed. Pinkie Pie emerged, however, as the star soccer player of the seven of us. Her perceptive abilities and boundless energy gave her an astonishing advantage, even over pegasi wings and unicorn magic. We had a lot of fun that last day, as the seven of us forgot, at least for a while, that one was going away to never return.

But, sadly, as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end.

Later that evening, we found ourselves in the Everfree Forest. I stood before the Elements of Harmony, beside Princess Celestia, with a smile on my face. The scene was exactly as I had envisioned – Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie stood in front of me, eyes clouded in farewell-sadness. Even the Princess seemed to be shedding a tear or two.

I swallowed. "Thank you for having me over," I said. "It was a wonderful experience."

Each pony gave me a sad offer of gratitude. I hugged them all in turn…

…except Applejack.

She wondered why I had hugged everypony but her. I could see it in her face as it twisted into a mass of confusion and seemed to well up in tears. I approached her, and she leaned in to receive her hug, which I gave. I also planted a little kiss on her cheek, which turned her skin to the colour of Big Macintosh's. Her eyes shot open. I felt her heart skip a beat.

I whispered in her ear, "Truthfully… if I wasn't married, then I would have allowed us to become… more…"

Her eyes welled up in joyful tears and she hugged me even tighter than before. I turned around and smiled as I walked towards the forest. The same, wavy magic appeared before me, which I passed through to the other side. I was halfway through when I looked back and winked.

"I'll always remember you… all of you…" I said, turning away and passing through the portal.

"Thank you."

Shortly after Zytharros walked through the portal and disappeared, we all somberly turned and began walking home. I, Twilight Sparkle would miss the intelligence and creativity with which he responded to my questions.

Princess Celestia seemed to sense my sadness, among everyone else's, and chuckled to herself.

I snapped, "What's so funny about losing a friend? Now I'll have to cast that memory spell to make us all forget… I just can't do that to poor Applejack…"

"You… may be seeing him sooner than you think…" Celestia said, amusedly bemused with thoughts of a scheme known only to her.

I stared at her, startled and bewildered. "What do you mean?"

I was getting into my car to drive away, when I noticed the faint glow of my wedding ring. It was that of Celestia's horn…

Did she…

"…just broke another rule…" she admitted to me. "I saw how you all reacted to each other. The dynamics were inescapable."

So, I said…

"No way," I said in amazement, examining my ring. It had a little engraving of an apple on it. I held it up to a mirror, but the apple disappeared. It was something only I could see. "She gave me a key to…"

"You let him bring magic to his world!" I shrieked, enraged. "Do you know what could happen to him in a world unfamiliar with it!"

Celestia laughed. "I only added a little magic to his wedding ring. It allows him to access this world whenever he wants, in the form he had before."

"By your own royal self…" I said, stressed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"That's easy," she said, chuckling again as the Elements of Harmony crowded around their princess, faces full of shock. "Throw him the mother of all parties when he comes back!"

I laughed, realizing that I was now allowed to travel freely between Equestria and Earth without affecting the timeline in my world. I kissed my ring.

"Thank you, Celestia…"

I started my car and roared off to take the dip I had desired, a big smile and a renewed vigor in my being. I would make sure to pay them a visit again soon.


End file.
